The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely watching an outbreak of a new coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. This new virus has resulted in hundreds of cases in China, with more cases appearing in a growing number of countries internationally. One case has been confirmed in the U.S. in a traveler who recently visited China.
There is no reason right now to believe this virus will spread in the U.S. like it has in China. But in an abundance of caution, and to protect our employees and patients, Houston Methodist is putting some new temporary measures in place. If employees have recently traveled to China we are requiring that they contact their manager and take paid leave for 14 days from the date when they were last in China. Furthermore, we are now suspending all work-related travel to China until further notice. Prior to returning to work, employees should contact their manager for updated guidance on return to work requirements.
If you have traveled to China and exhibit symptoms of respiratory illness (fever, cough, difficulty breathing), immediately seek medical attention. This virus in transmitted person-to-person similar to how the flu is transmitted.
We also have put temporary measures in place for clinical staff in the event a patient suspected of having this virus seeks medical attention. Today we modified the travel screening tool in our electronic medical record (Epic) to include screening of all patients with travel history to China. In addition, we developed an algorithm to guide the isolation and testing of suspected patients. If you have any questions or concerns related to the illness please contact System Infection Prevention and Control at 281.414.4879.
CDC continues to believe the risk of this virus to the American public is low, but we need to be cautious as we always put the patient at the center of everything we do. We will keep you posted of any new developments.
For additional information related to the outbreak please see links below:
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