Local officials urge good hygiene, social distancing; expect local cases to come
As The Star-Herald went to press Tuesday, the Mississippi Department of Health had reported nine new confirmed cases of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, bringing the state total to 21 out of 398 individuals tested by that point. None of the cases thus far were in Attala County.
Several dozen local government, healthcare system personnel, nursing home and home health providers, school and state health officials, and charity and church leaders gathered in the conference room at Kosciusko’s main fire station early Monday morning to discuss the community response to the burgeoning health issue.
Kosciusko Mayor Jimmy Cockroft opened the session with very brief comments, turning it over to healthcare professionals.
“As leaders, we need to be sure everyone is taken care of,” he said before introducing Dr. Grey Wallace of Baptist Memorial Hospital–Attala.
Wallace opened his comments be explaining why it is critical to slow the spread of the virus. One in five coronavirus patients require ICU care in order to be mechanically ventilated for two to three weeks of treatment. Multiple serious cases like that could quickly tie up all of a local hospital’s critical resources.
“There’s a reason we’re trying to flatten this curve,” he said, “so we don’t have an overrun of our ICU.”
About the virus and testing
The virus is transmitted person-to-person through droplets of body fluid that leave an infected person via coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu is transmitted. Symptoms of the virus are fever, cough and shortness of breath, with potential complications, including pneumonia and death.
Wallace reviewed recommendations to help prevent spreading the virus. People should sit themselves six feet apart from one another, not congregate in large groups, wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before drying them thoroughly and not touch one’s face.
Wallace said that with allergy season, some might confuse seasonal allergies with having the virus. He said that the most obvious difference between symptoms of is the individual having a fever over 100.4 for several days. Allergies, he said, are not known to cause fever.
If people do not heed the recommendations, the virus can spread quickly because many people do not have symptoms for all or part of the 14-day incubation period.
“We are restricting people to take care of our most vulnerable,” he said, adding that he affirms the recently-expressed sentiments of a national health official. Those words are, ‘I would rather have people question us why we did too much than why we did too little.’”
Dr. James Withers of the Premier Medical Clinic group said the company is designating its Trace Medical location as its primary coronavirus testing site. He urged those who suspect they have contracted the virus to call before heading to any of their facilities. Doing so will allow medical personnel to evaluate people and — if it is necessary for them to be tested or treated for coronavirus — clinic personnel can provide instruction on how to access services without spreading the virus in the process.
Due to a current lack of test kits, both the clinics and Baptist Memorial Hospital–Attala (which also asks potential virus patients to call before heading to the hospital) will not test anyone who does not have a temperature above 100.4, as well as having other symptoms such as shortness of breath.
According to Rob Coleman, Baptist-Attala CEO, the facility expected to have about 50 test kits available by Tuesday, with tests being sent to the state lab for processing, at least until a partner lab in Memphis could gear up its capacity, likely around March 24.
“Because of the shortage of media, we’re limiting testing,” said Coleman.
Hospital staff has been working with physician partners for weeks now to plan to accommodate the needs of the community, employees and patients, he said.
As of Monday, Baptist reportedly had conducted three tests with two coming back negative and a third pending.
Limitations and closures
The hospital has reduced entry points to the facility and everyone who tries to enter is screened by having their temperature checked. Anyone registering a temperature above 100.4 will be turned away. The hospital is also limiting patient visitors to one or two per day and has closed the cafeteria to the public, though elective surgeries are still allowed at this time.
Probably the most obvious local closure so far is that of the Kosciusko and Attala County school districts, which extended their spring breaks through this week. There is currently no word on whether school will resume next week, but in the meantime, both districts are feeding students via pickup meals (see story on page A1).
The Kosciusko School District is surveying families about their internet capabilities should distance learning be required going forward. You can fill out the survey at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeR5oA6uCLkmwsUjjlbmU2_exPkBeRJ...
Both districts have voted to pay all certified and non-certified staff during the duration of the emergency school closures.
Many local churches last week suspended in-person services or offered them online. The Mid-Mississippi Regional Library System, including the Attala County Library in Kosciusko, has shut down, extending due dates for items already checked out by patrons.
Mayor Jimmy Cockroft said Tuesday that the Board of Aldermen would meet, but he asked that others only attend if they have specific business before the board to allow everyone to employ appropriate social distancing. Board members, he said, would be scattered apart in the meeting room, and he also asked residents to avoid visiting offices in city hall as much as possible. He said if residents have questions, they can call city hall at 289-1226.
What’s ahead
County Emergency Manager Danny Townsend urged residents to be mindful of the situation, but not overreact.
“We need to stay calm. I ask people to be considerate of other folks. Buy only what you need,” he said. “If we don’t get this thing under control, we’re all going to be a lot more inconvenienced.”
Dr. Tim Alford, a Baptist-Attala emergency room physician, said that if Mississippi follows the model of Ohio, the number of cases could double every four or five days. Dr. Withers said he remains hopeful that Mississippi’s rural nature may help it have a lower rate of infection.
How it started
COVID-19 first emerged in Wuhan City in China’s Hubei Province, with initial cases having links to a large seafood and animal market. The virus was reportedly transmitted from animal to human and now continues to spread from human to human.
The virus spread to tens of thousands in China, with widespread transmission also reported in South Korea, Iran, and Italy.
The first case of COVID-19 in the United States was reported on January 21.
On March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Pandemics are typically classified by two criteria — being a new virus and being capable of person-to-person spread. Because there is no vaccine and it is highly contagious, these viruses have an increased likelihood that a global pandemic will result.
How COVID-19 is transmitted
COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in mid-March 2020, has claimed thousands of lives across the globe. Though the WHO insisted during a press briefing declaring COVID-19 a pandemic that the virus could be suppressed and controlled, Director-General of the WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described what he felt were “alarming levels of inaction” in regard to preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Understanding COVID-19, including the threat it poses and how it is transmitted, is of the utmost importance. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is still much to learn about COVID-19, including how it spreads. However, the CDC notes the following are some ways that researchers, as of March 2020, feel that the virus is transmitted.
Person-to-person
Researchers who have studied the virus feel that it is spread mainly from person-to-person. People who are within six feet of one another may spread the virus through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of those who are nearby or potentially be inhaled into the lungs.
The CDC notes that the virus is contagious, and that people might be most contagious when they are at their sickest. Symptoms of COVID-19 include difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, and bluish lips or face. Additional symptoms may be associated with COVID-19 as researchers learn more about the virus, and people who experience anything unusual should discuss their conditions with physicians immediately.
Researchers also suspect that the virus may be spreading through people who are asymptomatic. So even people who do not feel sick or exhibit signs of sickness may unknowingly have the virus, potentially making them capable of spreading it.
Contact with surfaces
The CDC notes that researchers do not suspect that contact with contaminated surfaces or objects is the main way the COVID-19 virus is spreading. However, the CDC also notes that it may be possible for people to get the virus by touching surfaces of objects that have the virus on them and then touching their own mouths, noses or possibly their eyes. The relative infancy of COVID-19 means researchers have yet to fully understand how the virus is transmitted.
Understanding COVID-19 also involves staying up-to-date on local announcements about the virus and adhering to any restrictions government officials put in place. People living in or near areas where others have been diagnosed should follow all protocols to reduce their own and their neighbors’ risks of exposure to the virus.
How to practice social distancing during a pandemic
As COVID-19 continued to spread across the world, it quickly became evident that the public would have to take drastic measures to slow the transmission. In addition to practicing generalized sanitation and good hygiene, people in some of the hardest-hit clusters were advised to take additional, more aggressive measures. Quarantines and travel restrictions were implemented, and the term “social distancing” became a buzzword.
Social distancing involves people keeping a physical distance from each other during disease outbreaks in order to slow transmission rates. Social distancing also is employed to lessen the impact of the disease on the medical care system, which quickly can become overwhelmed with a high number of cases presenting in a short period of time. In best-case scenarios, social distancing also may enable a few people to avoid infection until a vaccine is available.
So how can people socially distance themselves? Here are some of the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and other leading health groups.
• Opt out of group events. Steer clear of events, whether meetings, sports games, conferences and other gatherings where large amounts of people congregate together.
• Stick to non-contact greetings. Avoid hugs, kisses and handshakes. Substitute a smile, a wave or a bumping of elbows, instead.
• Practice remote learning. Students who attend large schools, such as high schools, universities and colleges, can continue their studies via remote learning and virtual classes instead of gathering in classrooms.
• Work from home. Many companies are now equipped to allow employees to work from home all the time or a portion of the time. Businesses can encourage employees to stay home and utilize the internet to get their work done.
• Stagger commute times. Commuters in urban areas can consider staggering work hours so that they help curb crowds on public transportation.
• Alter shopping schedules. Try to visit stores in the early morning or late at night when they are less likely to be crowded.
• Make changes in worship practices. Celebrants may have to make modifications to the way they worship. The Catholic Diocese of Trenton, NJ, recently advised all diocesan churches to halt the distribution of the most precious blood (wine) from communal chalices; encouraged clergy and eucharistic ministers to sanitize their hands before distributing the eucharist and parishioners to avoid contact during the sign of peace.
Common sense is key to stall disease transmission, and social distancing can be an important public health measure.
