Allegheny County health officials emphasize calm with eye on likely spread of coronavirus

Health officials continue to prepare locally for the likely spread of the coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 worldwide, but they cautioned that there are still no known cases in the region.

“We expect to see some (cases) as we expand testing,” said Dr. Kristen Mertz, an epidemiologist with the Allegheny County Health Department.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health will be able to begin testing this week, she said. Testing had been limited because of the narrow distribution of test kits by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“To get tested, you need approval from a local health department,” Mertz said. “If providers have a suspected case, they need to contact us, we need to approve it, and then it goes to the state.”

That testing involves taking samples from the back of the nose and the throat, and a sputum sample is taken, too. Those then are tested for the genetic material of the virus, which takes about four to six hours.

“If we do test somebody, obviously they need to stay home until their results come back,” Mertz said.

Those at the highest risk of the coronavirus are still those who have traveled to the countries where the virus is widespread, according to Dr. Lee Harrison, chair of the Allegheny County Board of Health. Residents currently face a greater risk from the flu, Harrison said.

At a briefing Monday on the preparations for an outbreak, health officials stressed that residents should not panic and their best option is to practice the same precautions as always: Wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds, sneeze into your arm, disinfect surfaces you touch often and stay home when you’re sick.

“We have spent years preparing for flu pandemics, and many strategies are applicable to (the virus),” Mertz said.

She stressed that masks are not necessary for the healthy general public and asked people not to hoard them.

Dozens of cases have been detected in the United States. There have been six deaths, all in Washington state. Mertz said some of those cases were acquired within the community — without travel to an affected country or known contact with anyone infected.

Harrison said he believes there has been more community transmission than we realize.

“There most likely has been community transmission in a lot of places that we haven’t recognized yet,” he said. It’s not clear yet if that includes Allegheny County.

“That’s what we’ll find out as testing becomes more available,” he said.

Harrison said the health department has remained involved in the near-daily briefings held by the CDC — briefings that have been passed on to local hospitals and emergency service providers. He said they also have been working with the Allegheny County Airport Authority and the Port Authority.

“There has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes … to assure that we are prepared for a possible outbreak,” he said.

LuAnn Brink, the chief epidemiologist for the health department, noted that there are no direct flights from China to Pittsburgh. That means any travelers arriving in Pittsburgh on flights that originated there have been screened before they get to Pittsburgh.

In a statement released Monday, Port Authority officials said, if the virus turns up locally, they will increase the frequency with which they clean and disinfect the buses and light-rail vehicles. They suggested frequent hand-washing and getting up and changing seats if someone near you seems ill.

“If escaping the path of someone’s cough or sneeze isn’t an option, respectfully pivot in the opposite direction, being sure to face away from the trajectory of their cough or sneeze,” spokesman Jim Ritchie said in a statement.

Health officials declined to say how many people locally have been evaluated, and Mertz said they will comment only on confirmed cases.

“It’s something that changes — the number evaluated is just hard to keep up with. We get many, many calls from the public and providers,” she said. “There’s no reason the public needs to know who is testing negative.”