What You Need to Know About the Coronavirus
Yavapai County Community Health Services Director Leslie Horton said, “Yavapai County has a history of collaborating with the local partner agencies, including all cities and towns, to protect the residents that call Yavapai County home. We are working together and reviewing plans and practiced responses that have been in place for years to make sure everyone is prepared for situations like the one we find ourselves in now with the worldwide spread of Coronavirus (Covid19).”
With the recent case of COVID-19 in California with no contact with anyone from Wuhan China, the CDC has warned the public to be vigilant in healthy precautions and to prepare for potential cases.
The one Arizona patient is now out of isolation and is no longer infected by the virus. People who have come in close contact with the man haven’t shown any signs of the illness known as COVID-19, Maricopa County Public Health reported. Most of them have passed the 14-day monitoring period without displaying any symptoms. Six of the 15 confirmed cases in the U.S. have recovered.
What is the virus and how is it different from the flu?
The only thing it has in common with the flu is that they are both respiratory viruses. COVID-19 has more in common with the common cold. While we mostly hear about rhinoviruses, there are several strains of coronavirus common in the U.S. that cause nothing worse than a cold.
Older adults usually develop worse symptoms than younger and are more likely to develop complications. Like flu, it generally hits hardest among seniors, people with chronic diseases like heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes, and those with weakened immune systems like people undergoing cancer treatment.
There’s no vaccine for coronavirus, but seniors should get vaccinated for diseases like pneumococcus and Hib. Getting those two vaccinations will help in limiting complications. Talk to your health provider if those vaccines are right for you.
Men are more likely to be hit harder with COVID than women. This is partly because women have a better immune system but also because men often delay medical care until symptoms are severe. Coronavirus or not, if you have a fever above 100, a cough, and/or sore throat, see your doctor.
The best things you can do to keep yourself from being infected just happens to be the same steps you should take to keep yourself from getting colds and flu:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Here are some preparation tips from Ready.gov:
- Store a two-week supply of water and food.
- Periodically check your regular prescription drugs to ensure a continuous supply in your home.
- Have any nonprescription drugs and other health supplies on hand, including pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough and cold medicines, fluids with electrolytes, and vitamins.
- Get copies and maintain electronic versions of health records from doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and other sources and store them, for personal reference. Get help accessing electronic health records.
- Talk with family members and loved ones about how they would be cared for if they got sick, or what will be needed to care for them in your home.
Health officials emphasize that those who haven’t gotten the vaccine yet should do so, even though we’ve likely reached the midpoint of flu season. The vaccine takes two weeks to provide full protection, but cannot only ward off the illness, it can reduce how bad your flu is if you catch it and reduce the chance you’ll be hospitalized.
Yavapai County Community Health Services is in continuous communications with Arizona Department of Health Services on the COVID-19 monitoring and situation and will keep the public
YCCHS still has plenty of flu vaccine and ask your doctor if you should get any others – just call 928-771-3122 to make an appointment at one of our locations – Prescott, Prescott Valley, Cottonwood and Chino Valley.