Only 60 coronavirus cases so far in U.S., but healthcare workers monitor thousands of people who might have been exposed.
As the frontline workers against the spread of disease, local public health departments are straining to respond to an outbreak of novel coronavirus and could be overwhelmed in the coming weeks as cases mount within the United States.
“The problem with novel coronavirus is that we just don’t know as much about it, so the science isn’t there to support every strategy in our toolkit,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of L.A. County’s Public Health Department. “A lot of people are working seven days a week.” Since Feb. 2, more than 8,400 such travelers have entered California, according to the state Public Health Department. In San Bernardino County, staff members are monitoring 75 of them with the help of temporary staff, according to department officials.
Ferrer said she had to move nurses who work in other divisions to help with the workload. Every day, 100 to 200 people in L.A. County return from a trip that included travel to mainland China in the last 14 days and need to be monitored, she said.“It’s a lot of calls, and it’s a lot of making sure people are OK. We make sure they have thermometers, we make sure they have food, we answer their questions,” she said. “It’s a role that I don’t know that a lot of people appreciate.
On Wednesday, the L.A. City Council convened a special meeting at City Hall to discuss the response to the coronavirus outbreak.
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