As of this writing, Chinese officials said the novel (new) coronavirus – which emerged last month – has killed at least 106 people. The pneumonia-like virus has infected more than 4,500 others, with cases in several countries. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it is investigating 110 cases of the coronavirus across 26 states – five of which are confirmed. It recommended travelers avoid "nonessential" trips to China. The State Department issued a similar warning.
In the U.S.
No human-to-human transmission seen yet in U.S. All five confirmed cases here are directly related/traveling from/to Wuhan, China:
About
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people such as with
MERS
and
SARS
.
Early on, many of the patients in the outbreak of respiratory illness caused by 2019-nCov in Wuhan, China had some link to a large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. Later, a growing number of patients reportedly did not have exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread.
Incubation time between catching the virus and onset of symptoms is two weeks. Evidence is inconclusive if people are contagious during the incubation period.
Expect to see more findings/news on this soon.
Transmission seems to be affecting mostly older populations as of now.
Both MERS and SARS have been known to cause severe illness in people. The complete clinical picture with regard to 2019-nCoV is still not fully clear. Reported illnesses have ranged from infected people with little to no symptoms to people being severely ill and dying. Learn more about the
symptoms associated with 2019-nCoV
.
Recommendations
Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.
There is no specific OSHA standard covering 2019-nCoV. However, some OSHA requirements may apply to preventing occupational exposure to 2019-nCoV. Among the most relevant are:
- OSHA's Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) standards (in general industry, 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I), which require using gloves, eye and face protection, and respiratory protection.
- The General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970, 29 USC 654(a)(1), which requires employers to furnish to each worker “employment and a place of employment, which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.”
OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard
(
29 CFR 1910.1030
)
applies to occupational exposure to human blood and other potentially infectious materials that typically do not include respiratory secretions that may transmit 2019-nCoV. However, the provisions of the standard offer a framework that may help control some sources of the virus, including exposures to
body fluids
(e.g., respiratory secretions) not covered by the standard.
