Governor Baker and State Health Officials Discuss
Community Preparedness With Health Care, Infectious Disease Experts and Front
Line Leaders
Joined by leaders in local public
health, long-term care, education, transportation and emergency response
 |
| (From the governor's office) |
BOSTON — Today,
the Baker-Polito Administration convened a meeting with front-line leaders
representing hospitals, local public health boards, emergency response,
long-term care, and higher education to discuss ongoing preparations for
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Massachusetts. Governor Charlie Baker was joined by
Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders, Department of Public
Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak and
Massport CEO Lisa Wieland.
Leaders
joining Governor Baker and administration officials included: Chief of the
Division of Emergency Preparedness at Mass General Hospital and Director of the
Mass General Hospital Center for Disaster Medicine Dr. Paul Biddinger, Director
of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiologist at UMass Medical Center Dr.
Richard Ellison III, Chief Public Health Office at Cambridge Public Health
Department Claude-Alix Jacob, University of Massachusetts Amherst Chancellor
Kumble Subbaswamy, Manager of the Metro Regional Preparedness Coalition at the
Cambridge Health Alliance Jendy Dunlop, Director of Special Projects for
ProEMS Ambulance Service Gibson McCullagh, and Louis J. Woolf, President and
CEO of Hebrew Senior Life.
“Our
administration’s top priority continues to be the health and safety of
Massachusetts residents, and our ongoing collaboration with medical experts,
first responders, school officials, local public health leaders and other
stakeholders is a crucial part of our ongoing preparedness efforts,” said
Governor Charlie Baker. “While the risk for COVID-19 in Massachusetts
remains low, our partnership with these organizations and leaders is crucial to
ensuring that the Commonwealth remains safe and prepared.”
“We
appreciate our ongoing collaboration with a wide range of organizations as we
work together to ensure Massachusetts remains prepared for a potential outbreak
of COVID-19,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “Our administration is
committed to remaining a resource for entities on the front lines of the
Commonwealth’s ongoing preparedness efforts.”
"The
Department of Public Health has been working closely with the CDC since the
beginning of the outbreak in China, and has worked tirelessly to plan and
communicate with state and local partners to prepare our communities and share
specific strategies all of us can take to stay healthy,” said Secretary Marylou Sudders.
Yesterday,
the Department of Public Health held its second conference call with local
colleges and universities, in part to address questions and concerns about
upcoming international travel for universities, like study abroad programs,
which often require significant planning and investment. With this in mind, the
administration is urging colleges, universities and high schools to cancel
upcoming, organized international trips at this time.
“The Department of Public
Health continues to monitor this dynamic situation and we have been
coordinating with a wide range of stakeholders, including educational
institutions that frequently sponsor, organize, or are associated with
individual and group international travel,” said DPH Commissioner Dr. Monica
Bharel. “While the risk of COVID-19 is low in Massachusetts, the
administration strongly urges schools to cancel all upcoming organized
international travel for the foreseeable future.”
Earlier today, the CDC issued an updated Travel Health Alert
for all United States residents starting today, instructing
travelers returning from countries with a Level 3
alert (currently China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy) to stay home
and monitor their health for 14 days after returning to the US.
This guidance also instructs travelers from countries with a Level 2
alert (currently Japan) to monitor their health and limit
interactions with others for 14 days after returning to the US. The guidance
advises against any non-essential travel to Level 3 countries. The Department
of Public Health will be issuing more detailed guidance related to this
development shortly.
The
Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced its first confirmed case
of COVID-19 in early February and on Monday, DPH announced its first presumptive positive case of COVID-19
since the FDA approved testing at the State Public Health Laboratory on
February 28th, with results being confirmed by the CDC. This
morning, DPH announced 719 people who did not show symptoms of COVID-19 have
been in self-quarantine in their homes following international travel and/or
contact with individuals who have been exposed to the virus, with 470 of those
individuals completed monitoring and are no longer quarantined and 249 are
currently quarantined. This information will be posted online today.
Coronaviruses are respiratory
viruses and are generally spread through respiratory secretions (droplets from
coughs and sneezes) of an infected person to another person. Symptoms of
COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, and, in severe cases,
pneumonia (fluid in the lungs). Information is still limited about how
this novel coronavirus spreads. More information on COVID-19 is available at mass.gov/2019coronavirus.
There have been more than 100
U.S. cases of COVID-19 confirmed since January. Globally, more than 90,000
cases have been confirmed. Late Tuesday, the CDC reported a total of 9
COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S.
Although the risk of COVID-19
to Massachusetts residents remains low, and the risk of the flu is high, people
are advised to take many of the same steps they do to help prevent colds and
the flu, including:
- Wash
hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid
touching your eyes and face.
- Clean
things that are frequently touched (like doorknobs and countertops) with
household cleaning spray or wipes.
- Cover
coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of your elbow.
- Stay
home when feeling sick.
- Stay
informed.
- Get a
flu shot.
Clinicians who have patients
they think may have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should contact DPH
via the 24/7 EPI line (617-983-6800).
The State Lab has an adequate
supply of test kits from the CDC for testing. The anticipated turnaround of
test results from the State Lab is 24 hours, depending on testing volume.
Individuals who are in
voluntary self-quarantine continue to be monitored by their local boards of
health.
People who have recently traveled from an area with widespread or ongoing community
spread of COVID-19 and who have symptoms of the disease (fever,
cough, shortness of breath) should immediately contact their healthcare
provider immediately and call ahead before going to a healthcare facility.
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