- Updated: 29 January 2020
Chinese health officials have identified a new (novel) coronavirus (2019-nCoV) as the cause of an outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, which has led to a number of confirmed and suspected cases and several deaths in China. There have been cases identified in several Asian countries and two confirmed cases with other potential cases under investigation in the United States. A multi-agency Federal response is ongoing at this time to monitor the outbreak and implement preparedness and response activities. Among those agencies, the CDC is following and addressing the clinical aspects of this issue. The most up-to-date information can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/.
The meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus 2019 in the People’s Republic of China, with exportations currently reported in the Republic of Korea, Japan, Thailand and Singapore, took place on Wednesday, 22 January 2020, from 12:00 to 16:30 Geneva time (CEST) and on Thursday, 23 January 2020, from 12:00 to 15:10. The Committee’s role is to give advice to the Director-General, who makes the final decision on the determination of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The Committee also provides public health advice or suggests formal temporary recommendations as appropriate.
Medical facilities around the country have been requiring EMS personnel who do not have proof of a positive titer to the hepatitis B vaccine series be tested prior to clinical rotations. If the titer is <10mlU/ml, those facilities administer an additional dose of vaccine. These costs, which can be significant, are passed on to the EMS providers or their departments.