By: Donovan W. Mann – [email protected]
Humboldt, IA – Local health experts are advising the community to take steps to protect themselves against COVID-19 and other potentially deadly illnesses.
With the spread of novel coronavirus 2019 or COVID-19, commonly referred to as the “coronavirus,” growing in the United States, there has been. The Humboldt County Memorial Hospital is preparing for potential cases in the community and has the basic facts the people of Humboldt need to know.
Kim Schipull of Infection Control at HCMH says COVID-19 is a new respiratory virus that was identified in Wuhan, China. She says it spreads main from person to person when infected coughs or sneezes on an object and someone else touches it and puts their hand in their mouth, noise, or eyes. “This is a lot similar to the influenza that we see every year or other respiratory illnesses”.
“Primary symptoms are starting with a low fever, cough and shortness of breath” Schipull says. Symptoms can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after you’ve been exposed to COVID-19. The average is about five days.
Joleen Sernett Director of Public Health at HCMH says that there is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. However, “you can protect yourself and those around you by covering your coughs and sneezes, avoid close contact with those who are sick, washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands and staying home when you are ill” she advises.
Sernett says “you can also clean and disinfect frequently touched surface”. This includes tables, counter tops, and remotes. She says most EPA registered disinfectants will work. Another option is diluting household bleach using one-third cup of bleach to one gallon of water.
Sernett says “Humboldt County Memorial Hospital and Humboldt County Public Health have been working with the CDC and the Iowa Department of Public Health to ensure we are ready to respond should the need arise”. The Hospital and Public Health have formed a planning group.
HCMH will be doing health screenings of all visitors wishing to come to inpatient care, long term care and assisted living. Likewise they will be limiting visiting hours for those locations as well.
Visiting hours are as follow
Inpatient care: 1 pm to 7 pm
Long term care: 1 pm to 7 pm
Springvale Assisted Living: 1 pm to 5 pm.
There have been no confirmed cases of community spread for COVID-19 in Iowa. As a result Sernett says it is not advises to cancel large gatherings at this time. She does say it is always important to take precautions when planning an events.
Across the country, there has been action taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The federal government has placed travel bans on international travel to some European countries and other regions of the world. The Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio, is in the process of creating a test that gets significantly faster results.
Higher educational institutions across the nation have decided to cancel face-to-face classes in favor of online instruction, including nearby Iowa State, Drake and the University of Iowa. These class cancellations range from a few weeks to the end of the semester.
Across the NCAA all conferences have canceled their basketball tournaments. The NCAA has also announced that it will be cancelling all championship events for winter and spring sports. The NBA, NHL, and MLS have decided to suspend their seasons until further notice. The MLB has decided to postpone the start of their opening day and cancel the remainder of spring training.
For more information regarding COVID-19 the Iowa Department of Public Health has set up a hotline that is available 24/7. Call 2-1-1 to reach the line