Onondaga County Health Commissioner Gupta discusses coronavirus spread prevention

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Onondaga County Health Department is working on several areas as it deals with the evolving situation with the coronavirus.

The department is involved in “active surveillance” of new cases and returning travelers from areas with sustained community transmission of the coronavirus, also known as Covid-19; ensuring plans for isolation and quarantine; and providing guidance and assistance to the local medical community regarding testing and discharge, Dr. Indu Gupta, Onondaga County Health Commissioner, said.

Gupta joined Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, and Onondaga County Commissioner of Emergency Management Dan Wears to brief local reporters and county officials on efforts to deal with the coronavirus locally, although Onondaga County doesn’t currently have any virus cases.

The county’s Health Department is also working with community partners (educational institutions, nursing homes, day care centers, and others) to prepare and “promote resiliency.”

It is also reminding citizens that everyone “can and should play a role” in reducing the transmission of infection by using “simple, preventive” strategies.

“And these will be very important tools in our response to this virus at the community level. This proactive approach of containment and mitigation will delay the emergence of community spread in our community in the future and reduce its ultimate impact,” said Gupta.

She also outlined three categories of prevention strategies, including personal protection involving washing hands and staying home if you’re sick.

“Simple things which we talk about during the flu season,” Gupta noted in her remarks.

Another category is a community prevention strategy, which could include school closures, if needed.

The third category is environmental preventive strategy, which includes surface cleaning efforts.

The virus and its spread

The global coronavirus is now appearing without a known source of exposure, both internationally and in the U.S., Gupta noted in her remarks.

To date, more than 94,000 cases have been reported globally, with more than 3,200 deaths, while more than 51,000 people have recovered.

“This sentence has to be highlighted because we forget that people recover from this [virus],” said Gupta.

In the U.S., the cases have increased to 128 in 15 states with nine deaths, she added. Some of these cases are considered due to community transmission of virus from people who don’t appear to be sick, “which is concerning and poses a challenge for [a] containment strategy,” Gupta noted.

The main clinical symptoms can range from cough, fever, headache, and shortness of breath. The majority of people, or 80 percent, will have mild symptoms.

“It’s very important to remember … and [they] will recover,” said Gupta.

But those who are elderly, with underlying medical problems or with a serious medical issue, may require hospitalization, with the increased probability of complication, such as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and perhaps, death, according to Gupta.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com