At the outset of 2020, the world looked on as China grappled with an outbreak that seemed be spiraling out of control.
Two months later, the situation is markedly different. After aggressive testing and quarantine efforts, Chinas outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) appears to be leveling off.
Now, numerous countries around the world are in the beginning stages of managing their own outbreaks. March 15th, 2020, marked a significant statistical milestone for this, as confirmed cases of COVID-19 outside of China surpassed the Chinese total.
The tracker above, by Our World in Data, charts the trajectory of the growing number of countries with more than 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19. As the number of new infections reported around the world continues to grow, which countries are winning the battle against COVID-19, and which are still struggling to slow the rate of infection?
Whats Your National Infection Trajectory?
As of publishing time, 39 countries have passed the threshold of 100 confirmed cases, with many more countries on the cusp. By comparing infection trajectories from the 100 case mark, were able to see a clearer picture of how quickly the virus is spreading within various countries.
A rapid doubling rate can spell big trouble, as even countries with advanced healthcare systems can become overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases. This was the case in the Lombardy region of Italy, where hospitals were overloaded and an increasing number of medical staff are under quarantine after testing positive for the virus. Nearly 10% of COVID-19 patients in Lombardy required intensive care, which stretched resources to their breaking point.
Other countries are looking to avoid this situation by flattening the curve of the pandemic. In other words, preventing and delaying the spread of the virus so that large portions of the population arent sick at the same time.
A rapid doubling rate can spell big trouble, as even countries with advanced healthcare systems can become overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases.
Image: Drew Harris, CDC
While all the countries on this tracker are united behind a common goal stamping out COVID-19 as soon as possible each country has its own approach and unique challenges when it comes to keeping their population safe. Of course, countries that are just beginning to experience exponential growth in case numbers have the benefit of learning from mistakes made elsewhere, and adopting ideas that are proving successful at slowing the rate of infection.
Many jurisdictions are implementing some or all of these measures to help flatten the curve:
The following chart explains why this last measure is critical to limiting the spread of the virus.
The more people, the higher the risk.
Image: J.S. Weitz
In scenario B above, which assumes just 20,000 active cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., theres nearly a 50% chance an infected person will be attending a 10,000 person conference or sporting event. This is precisely the reason why temporary limits on crowd size are popping up in many jurisdictions around the world.
Direct losses due to canceled tech conferences alone, such as SXSW and the Electronic Entertainment Expo, have already surpassed the $1 billion mark, but despite the short-term economic pain of cancellations and decreased entertainment spending, the costs of business-as-usual could be incalculable.
License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with our Terms of Use.
Written by
Nick Routley, Creative Director & Writer, Visual Capitalist
This article is published in collaboration with Visual Capitalist.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
At long last, heres an actually useful purpose for Twitters blue-check verification mark: Twitter last night announced that it is mobilising the badge system to help surface and signal more authoritative and verified voices that can provide credible updates on the topic of the coronavirus, and made a general call out for people that are experts to get all of their information up to date including associating the word addresses with their accounts to speed up this process.
This is the latest move from Twitter in what has been an ongoing effort to clear its platform of false information and the harmful spread of it as the pandemic increasingly takes its grip on the world.
The blue check mark was always intended to help steer people to know when they looking at more authentic voices or the official accounts for high-profile people or organizations, although its also been a huge vanity metric for many people, and so has often had a taint of the more ridiculous side of Twitter (the one where people also obsess over like and retweet counts). So harnessing it for a truly useful purpose is a great move.
Its also one that is linking up with other efforts online: yesterday Google launched an updated search experience that includes a carousel of Twitter accounts Tweeting information related to the pandemic. This will help Twitter and Google populate that in a more informative and dynamic way.
If you are an expert who would like to use Twitter to broadcast more effective messages to the public, please read on. And if you are an authority who is not affiliated with one of the authorities working on fighting and managing the coronavirus outbreak, hold tight as Twitter said it will also be working on how to more quickly verify you, too.
Twitter said it is working with global health authorities these include organizations like the WHO, the CDC, state health authorities and recognized academic institutions to identify not just these organizations own accounts but those of experts affiliated with them. While it has it has already Verified hundreds of accounts, there are many more to verify, but the process is being slowed down by people not having all of their information in order. (Essentially these are some of the usual requirements for verification, applied specifically now to coronavirus experts.)
Specifically, Twitter said that experts needed to make sure that the email address that a person has associated with their Twitter account is their work emails. Instructions on how to do that here.
Then, Twitter said that a persons bio needs to include references and a link to the place where they are working, and ideally that the page they are linking to also includes a reference back to the Twitter account (if its a link to a bio page). Instructions on how to update your profile here.
And accounts that are looking for verification, it goes without saying, have to follow the officialTwitter Rules (which cover things like no harassment, impersonation accounts and so on), and specifically as it relates to coronavirus and COVID-19, Twitters guidance for that.
Twitter had, predictably, what looked like hundreds of responses to its Tweets on this subject, both from people simply saying, Hey, what about me? Can I get verified today for my birthday?! and those saying they also should be verified because of their authoritative position on COVID-19. Going about how to do the latter with accuracy will be a much bigger challenge that Twitter is still working out. Were also considering a way to take public suggestions, but first are reviewing the suggestions we have from global public health authorities and partners, it concluded.
In the whirlwind of news about the novel coronavirus pandemic, it can be hard to figure out whats a scam or rumor and whats vital information. The ways in which the COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has transformed the way we work and keep ourselves entertained already feels unreal.
To understand why theres so much misinformation out there for example, that the virus was purposely created in a lab The Verge spoke with John Cook, a cognitive science researcher at George Mason University and one of the authors of a new Conspiracy Theory Handbook. A big fan of acronyms, Cook came up with a handy one to recognize when you or someone you know might be headed down a conspiracy theory rabbit hole and how to inoculate ourselves and others against it.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Why are you publishing this handbook now? Why should we be thinking about conspiracy theories at a time like this?
We had [the release of the handbook] planned for April, you know, and usually, Im not that organized that I happen to have something done a month early. But once we just saw all the conspiracy theories and the misinformation flying around about the novel coronavirus, and that it was actively directly endangering the public, we thought, We need to make this information accessible to people. Theres no point waiting a month if its ready to go now.
Is there one conspiracy theory youre really concerned about?
You have politicians in the US pushing the conspiracy theory that the coronavirus was bioengineered by a Chinese lab. And then you had retaliation to that. You had Chinese officials pushing the conspiracy theory that the US bioengineered the virus. We talked about this in the book, that there are tactical conspiracy theories. Theyre not always just a guy with a tinfoil hat in his basement talking on his laptop. It can be actual governments intentionally constructing conspiracy theories for strategic reasons. And so when you have governments pushing out all these conspiracy theories, theyre quite distracting. Its not what we need when we need governments all working together to address a global pandemic like this.
Why are those particular conspiracy theories harmful?
So when you have conspiracy theories spreading around, one of the things it does is it erodes public trust in institutions, particularly government institutions and medical institutions, who provide accurate information. One way that that can cause damage is then the public doesnt follow the advice that comes from these institutions. So if you have the CDC advising the public to maintain social distancing, dont gather in public events, dont go to restaurants, dont go to concerts or pubs. People are distrusting that advice because it comes from a mainstream institution, then the conspiracy theories are now distracting. And that has direct implications because people start behaving in ways that not only endanger themselves but endanger the public in general.
Twenty-nine percent of Americans believe the virus was created in a lab, according to new data from the Pew Research Center. Why has the conspiracy theory about the virus being engineered in labs become so popular?
In the handbook, we talk about different conditions that make the public more vulnerable to conspiracy theories, more likely to gravitate toward them. And I think the two that are really applicable to this situation is the feeling of powerlessness and coping with threat.
When people feel vulnerable, believing in conspiracy theories gives them more of a feeling of control. It seems almost counterintuitive because why would imagining that this is secret conspirators in a lab generating a virus, why does that make people feel more in control? Because at least thats an explanation. And if the explanation is just random things happen in nature; people dont like randomness. We prefer to have causal explanations. We prefer to have meaning in the way that we understand what happens in the world. And so conspiracy theories offer meaning. Were more vulnerable to them when we feel powerless, when we feel threatened and we need to get a sense of control.
How do you debunk theories like this when you come across them?
Theres a range of different solutions that we list in the handbook. And I think that the general principle that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure applies. Its better to inoculate people preemptively against conspiracy theories rather than trying to go in afterward and undo the damage. Its easier to inoculate people against getting infected by a conspiracy theory, rather than trying to convince the conspiracy theorists that the conspiracy theory is not true.
But also when you do address conspiracy theories, do it in a way that doesnt reinforce or promote them. Basically, inoculation is delivering misinformation in a weakened form by explaining how it cant be true and explaining what the facts are instead. For example, with the conspiracy theory that the novel coronavirus was created in a lab, scientists have found that it has natural origins.
If your goal is to convince conspiracy theorists, then an empathetic approach is necessary just to have a genuine dialogue.
South Koreans are famously nonchalant about North Korean nuclear weapons. Bewilderingly to the rest of us, they keep calm and carry on whenever Pyongyang threatens to turn Seoul into a sea of fire. The South Korean approach to Covid-19 could not have been more different.
On 16 January, the South Korean biotech executive Chun Jong-yoon grasped the reality unfolding in China and directed his lab to work to stem the viruss inevitable spread; within days, his team developed detection kits now in high demand around the world.
There has been a general consensus in South Korea to trust in and respect the advice coming from doctors and scientists
Meanwhile, the South Korean government assumed the virus would hit. Experience with the 2003 Sars epidemic proved useful: existing governmental units in the ministries of health, welfare and foreign affairs, regional municipalities and the presidents office were mobilised. As a result, South Korea has been effective in controlling the nations mortality rate not through travel bans but instead through widespread rigorous quarantine measures and testing, now even exporting domestically produced test kits such as the 51,000 diagnostic products sent this week to the United Arab Emirates.
Most importantly, South Korea immediately began testing hundreds of thousands of asymptomatic people, including at drive-through centres. South Korea employed a central tracking app, Corona 100m, that publicly informs citizens of known cases within 100 metres of where they are. Surprisingly, a culture that has often rebelliously rejected authoritarianism has embraced intrusive measures.
On 17 March, a temporary provision entailed a small subsidy of 454,900 South Korean won (313) a month to cover basic living expenses. The same funding is available to those who are self-isolating, regardless of whether they test positive for the virus. Its not hugely generous, but provides subsistence for those whose lives are upended by necessary measures such as the ministry of educations closure of schools.
Other nations would be wise to copy the South Korean model: on 29 February, 700 people tested positive in the primary South Korean outbreak city of Daegu. By 15 March, 41 new cases were reported there.
There is, however, no time for complacency. As expected, based on the continued lack of immunity in the population, on 18 March, the number of cases began rising again, with Seoul now bracing for the worst.
From 16 March, South Korea started to screen all people arriving at airports, Koreans included. South Koreans have universal health care, double the number of hospital beds compared to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) norms (and triple that of the UK), and are accustomed to paying half what Americans pay for similar medical procedures. At this historic juncture, there has been a general consensus to trust in and respect the advice coming from doctors and scientists.
But it hasnt all been smooth sailing: church officials south of Seoul were revealed to have sprayed salt water into parishioners mouths on the false premise it would stave off the infection. Worse, no one disinfected the bottles nozzle, and 46 people from the congregation have already tested positive. Also, despite South Koreas laudable healthcare apparatus, foreigners living in the country underscore disparities. With no Chinese allowed signs on numerous businesses and restaurants, some fear seeking medical advice.
The South Korean model is not without costs. In pre-pandemic days, the nations Oscar-winning film Parasite presciently showed the world how the rich can survive by working from home while their children enjoy the comfort of remote learning without worrying about food. These cultural imbalances are not unique to South Korea. Wealthy, independent schools are sending children home equipped with computers, books and musical instruments for remote learning, a situation being partially offered by state-run institutions, if at all.
In cities such as New York where there is now widespread community transmission of Covid-19 it is likely too late to follow the South Korean model. Efforts need to be focused elsewhere, including a wartime-like mobilisation to vastly increase the production of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and the ventilator machines needed to treat the critically ill.
Oscars in hand, Bong Joon-ho, the director of Parasite, charmed the world on 10 February: I will drink until next morning, thank you. A week later, back in Seoul and well before most governments had woken up to the serious challenge they faced, he had already changed his tone, promising to wash [his] hands from now on, and participate in this movement to defeat coronavirus.
Alexis Dudden is professor of history at the University of Connecticut. Andrew Marks is a doctor and chair of physiology at Columbia University
NEWARK Social distancing measures took a dramatic but expected step on Saturday with Gov. Phil Murphy ordering all non-essential businesses closed. They have until 9 p.m. to comply.
The announcement came as New Jersey's death toll from the novel coronavirus reached 16 and the number of COVID-19 cases topped 1,327.
The disruptions, which are leading to massive unemployment claims, could last weeks, if not months, Murphy said.
The order taking effect 9 p.m. March 21 prohibits gatherings of any kind no weddings, no funerals, no in-person business meetings which previously had been limited to 50 people.
The order essentially requires that the state's 9 million residents remain home, although they're allowed to walk or run outside as long as they can maintain a safe distance from others.
The order comes with long list of exceptions. And while Murphy asked all businesses to have their employees to work from home whenever possible, he noted that construction, manufacturing, logistics, shipping and trucking work would continue.
Medical facilities such as doctors offices, hospitals, dentist offices, long-term care facilities, physical therapy offices and other medical offices also remain open.
There is no travel ban but people should try to stay home between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless they're commuting or have a reasonable reason to be out.
Retailers also are allowed to continue their businesses online.
Murphy said the choices have been to take action or "let the virus run its course" and "ultimately pay a huge price in fatalities and sickness and pay an enormous economic price."
"Our job collectively is to flatten the curve, break the back of that curve as aggressively and preemptively as possible. That comes with economic pain, enormous economic pain But at the end of the day, we will get through this. We know that," Murphy said during a news briefing Saturday at Rutgers University-Newark.
"While the economy pain is significant now, we will save many lives, we will keep a lot of people healthy and frankly, at the end of the day, the economic pain related to what we're doing will be a lot less consequential than if we had let this virus run amok."
The lobbying organization representing businesses and industry in the state said Saturday that the understand "the need to put public health first in confronting a global pandemic with uncertain reach."
"There is much guidance for which businesses are or are not included as essential,' but we still anticipate much confusion, requiring further detail and guidance," Michelle Siekerka, president and CEO of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association said in a written statement.
"While we recognize the pain many of our businesses are experiencing, we are pleased to see our manufacturers and other essential sectors remain in operation to continue their work during this challenging time, particularly those who make health-based products relevant to the coronavirus response."
Grocery stores and retailers offering foods
Convenience stores
Food banks
Restaurants that can provide take-out or delivery
Farmer's markets and farms that sell directly to customers
Pharmacies
Marijuana dispensaries
Medical supply stores
Liquor stores
Banks and financial institutions
Gas stations
Auto mechanics
Car dealerships for auto maintenance and repair
Pet supply stores
Hardware and home improvement stores
Vehicle rental locations
Laundromats and dry cleaners
Stores that principally sell supplies for children under 5 years
Pet stores and veterinary service locations
Printing and office supply shops
Mail and delivery stores
Businesses that require employees to be on site "should operate with the minimal number of on-site employees as possible to ensure critical operations can continue." Examples of such employees include cashiers or store clerks, construction workers, utility workers, repair workers, warehouse workers, lab researchers, IT maintenance workers, janitorial and custodial staff and certain administrative staff.
Murphy on Saturday also said that nannies and housekeepers would be considered necessary workers.
In addition to Saturday's order closing all non-essential retail, Murphy during the week had already taken steps to close certain retailers and services. Schools were closed this week and moved to online and remote learning. Murphy is keeping daycare centers open because he said essential workers who can't work from home need a place to leave their children.
Local police departments have been ticketing violators.
"If folks are monkeying around, we will take action," Murphy said Saturday.
Restaurants and bars that cannot provide take-out or delivery
Shopping malls except for restaurants with separate entrances
Gatherings of individuals such as parties, celebrations, or other social events, are cancelled. CDC guidance defines a gathering to include conferences, large meetings, parties, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies
All recreational and entertainment businesses including casinos; racetracks; gyms and fitness centers
Entertainment centers such as movie theaters, performing arts centers, concert venues, and nightclubs
Personal-care businesses such as barbershops; hair salons; spas; nail and eyelash salons; tattoo parlors; massage parlors; tanning salons
Public and private social clubs.
Businesses that believe that they should be included on the list of essential establishments should reach out to the superintendent of the State Police.
Murphy also signed an order invalidating any county or municipal restrictions that conflict with his order.
Counties and municipalities are allowed to make further restrictions on online marketplaces for arranging or offering lodging and on public parks.
Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-359-5348 or email sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com.
Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA demonstrates how its drive-thru collection process for COVID-19 testing works. USA TODAY
Drive-thrucoronavirus testing sites are popping up across the country in states including Delaware, New York,Massachusetts and Texas. Over the next few days,47 of these sites will be set up in approximately 12 states, testing czarBrett Giroir told reporters at a press conference earlier this week.
In Virginia, a hospital has helped set up a temporarydrive-thrucoronavirus testing siteat a county-owned property across from Washington-Liberty High School.
The site opened Wednesday to collect samples from Arlington residents, Arlington County Government employees and Arlington Public Schools employees, and patients of VHC Medical Staff who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
Before arriving on site, patients must make an appointment with their physician to get a doctor's orders for testing. Once they have that, they must call the Virginia Hospital Center's scheduling line to make an appointment for drive-thrutesting. Drive-thrutesting is only for patients who have symptoms like a fever, chills, cough, or shortness of breath. Otherwise, they will be turned away.
What can you expect when you actually pull up for testing? Here's a step-by-step look at what the processis like for patientsin Virginia.
Virginia Hospital technician speaks to people through closed windows of their car as they drive up seeking testing for the COVID-19 on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.(Photo: Jack Gruber)
When patients arrive at the site,they are guided by road signs directing them to keep their windows up and follow a series of cones. At their first checkpoint, individuals speaking to them through bullhorns ask to see confirmation of their doctor's orders and appointment time.
Once that is confirmed, they pull forward into a white tent where the head of the VHC's lab uses a microphone to remind them to keep their window up and asks how many people in the car will be getting tested.
Patients are then asked to hold their photo ID and insurance card, if they have one, up to the window for a picture.
A label is then printed for their sample as the patient drives through to the next tent. There, a lab technician asks them to roll their window down just a crack, tilt their head back and the back of their throat is swabbed. Patients can then roll up their window and drive off.
The sample is put into a sterile container and sent to a lab, where a chemical is used to pull the cells off the swab and turn the sample into a liquid form. That liquid is then put into a machine that goes through hot and cold cycles to make multiple copies of the virus ribonucleic acid, which carries genetic information. The machine looks to match the persons RNA with the coronavirus RNA to determine a positive or negative result.
What to expect when you get a coronavirus test: Stay calm, don't wiggle and it will take just 10 seconds
If there are no lines, the drive-thru process takes about 10minutes, according to Melody Dickerson, VHC's senior vice president and chief nursing officer. Patients can expect test results in five to seven business days.
"People will often ask, you know, 'what should I do while Im waiting for my test result'and 'what should I do if I find out that Im positive' and the answer is really the same: Stay home," Dickerson said. "Quarantine yourself, stay away from your loved ones and making sure you do frequent cleaning of all your solid surfaces."
Dickerson said that when the testing site opened Wednesday, they were able to test about 60 people. On Thursday, 24 patients had made appointments, though she expects that number to rise. She addedthat about 100 people had left messages on their scheduling line's answering machine, which they plan to turn off.
"This morning we made the decision to go from 6 tests per hour to 10 tests per hour," Dickerson said Thursday."If we can add more tests, then we will add more tests. We just want to make sure we dont overwhelm the staff."
Many who arrived for tests were turned away for not having all the proper requirements. One of those people was David Juras,58.Juras came to get a test for his 19-year-old daughter, Olivia, who had just gotten home from Scotland, where students at her school were sick.
When he arrived Thursday with an order from his daughter's pediatrician, he was turned away because he didn't have an appointment.He said he was frustratedthat he saw only one car drive through the site ashe sat in his car on hold waiting to make an appointment.
Contributing: Jorge Ortiz
Follow N'dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg
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The worlds most vulnerable people could be last in line for support to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, experts have warned.
Countries already dealing with humanitarian and refugee crises face a struggle to find the resources to deal with the pandemic by the time it reaches them, specialists said in a webinar hosted by the New Humanitarian news agency on Thursday.
Protective equipment and resources for testing are already a concern for China and Europe, but a third wave could leave developing countries with weakened health systems in a worse position even though most currently have a relatively small number of cases.
Experts working with refugees, on humanitarian responses and in global health warned that the international community needs to begin working closely with governments around the world to help the most vulnerable.
I dont think were quite ready yet for the fights that are coming over limited supplies of personal protective equipment, limited supplies of vaccines and limited supplies of therapeutics, said Jeremy Konyndyk, senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington DC.
When the first 100m doses of the vaccines come out, its going to be a big fight over who gets those, and its going to be very important that [they dont] just go to those who can afford them.
Africa has had about 600 cases, compared with thousands in many individual European countries. But the World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said more testing was needed across the continent.
Africa should wake up, my continent should wake up, said Tedros.
But with testing limited in much of the world, including the UK, developing countries faced a major challenge, said Karl Blanchet, director of the Geneva-based Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action.
Testing has to happen, it is the priority. The problem is low-income countries are probably arriving on the third wave, after China, after Europe. Access to tests is going to be problematic, said Blanchet.
While many richer countries were currently focused on their own populations and economies, the humanitarian community would have to look at changing the way it works, said the experts, by investing in the strengthening of worldwide public health systems rather than focusing on single-issue campaigns.
This is not just about providing services in a refugee site or a conflict-affected area, this is really about the fundamental of health systems and about health-seeking and health-protecting behaviour across entire countries, said Konyndyk. That is not something that we in the humanitarian sector are always terribly well set up for.
Konyndyk said the sector would have to work more with governments and local organisations, who have the trust of the communities with which they work.
Virginie Lefvre, programme and partnerships coordinator with the Lebanese NGO Amel Association, said she was already seeing examples of local workers leading the way.
The locally-led response, the community-based initiatives are working despite the fear. All those workers are afraid as we can understand, because they have been exposed, she said.
Lefvre praised such workers for quickly setting up mobile clinics and using technology to communicate with people.
We have good locally-led responses, but it needs to be better coordinated with other actors in-country and at the international level, she added.
TUCSON - The confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Arizona hasincreased to 104, according to data released by the Arizona Department ofHealth Services Saturday morning.
The level of community spread has been updated to moderate,meaning there have been confirmed cases in 5-12 counties.
Maricopa County has 49 confirmed cases, the highest number of cases confirmed in one Arizona county.
Preventing Coronavirus
COVID-19 spreads through the air when an infected personcoughs or sneezes. Symptoms are thought to appear within 2 to 14 days afterexposure and consist of fever, cough, runny nose, or difficulty breathing.Those considered at highest risk for contracting the virus are individuals withtravel to an area where the virus is spreading, or individuals in close contactwith a person who is diagnosed as having COVID-19.
The best ways to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses,including COVID-19, are to:
Washyour hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and waterare not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoidtouching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoidclose contact with people who are sick.
Stayhome when you are sick.
Coveryour cough or sneeze with a tissue, then immediately throw the tissue in thetrash.
Cleanand disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Public health officials advise residents that flu and otherrespiratory diseases are circulating in the community, and are recommendingeveryone get a flu shot and follow basic prevention guidelines.
If you have recently traveled to an area where COVID-19 iscirculating, and have developed fever with cough or shortness of breath within14 days of your travel, or have had contact with someone who is suspected tohave 2019 novel coronavirus, please stay home. Most people with COVID-19develop mild symptoms. If you have mild symptoms, please do not seek medicalcare, but do stay home and practice social distancing from others in thehousehold where possible. If you do have shortness of breath or more severesymptoms, please call your health care provider to get instructions beforearriving.
For the latest information about COVID-19, visitwww.pima.gov/COVID19orby calling 520-626-6016.
Cameron County Public Health officials announced Saturday that there is a second travel-related case of COVID-19 in the county.
An 81-year-old male from Harlingen tested positive after traveling to Florida, the release stated. On March 19, the patient was tested due to symptoms of cough, congestion, and fever. Cameron County Public Health received laboratory confirmation March 20.
The person is in home isolation and is not tied to the first travel-related case, which involves a 21-year-old man from Rancho Viejo who tested positive on March 19 after returning from a trip to Ireland and Spain.
Cameron County Public Health has implemented their COVID-19 action response plan and is conducting the epidemiological investigation to identify others who may have been exposed and test the individuals showing signs and symptoms, the release stated. Cameron County Public Health will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they are received.
If you have news you would like to contribute, you can reach The Monitor at (956) 683-4000.
