While Mississippi is not under an immediate threat for the new coronavirus, the state is preparing for the possibility.

a group of people standing in a room: Dr. Paul Byers, foreground, state epidemiologist with the Mississippi State Department of Health, and from left, Dr. Bhagyashri Navalkele, University of Mississippi medical director of Infection Prevention, Dr. Jason Parham, director of the UMMC Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases, and Jason Smith, manager of emergency services, UMMC Mississippi Center for Emergency Services, address at a Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, news conference actions being taken in Mississippi during the emerging threat of the coronavirus. © Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger Dr. Paul Byers, foreground, state epidemiologist with the Mississippi State Department of Health, and from left, Dr. Bhagyashri Navalkele, University of Mississippi medical director of Infection Prevention, Dr. Jason Parham, director of the UMMC Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases, and Jason Smith, manager of emergency services, UMMC Mississippi Center for Emergency Services, address at a Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, news conference actions being taken in Mississippi during the emerging threat of the coronavirus.

Dr. Paul Byers, state epidemiologist with the Mississippi Department of Health, said Thursday in a news conference at the University of Mississippi Medical Center that the state has been aggressively monitoring the 2019 Novel Coronavirus — COVID-19 — for a number of weeks.

"This is such a rapidly evolving situation and it is important that we cast a wide enough net to identify cases that may be in Mississippi, get them tested, treated appropriately and get them isolated," Byers said.

"We have enhanced surveillance and we are working with every hospital in the state to provide guidance on how to identify those individuals that may be at risk and managing them for the protection of the health care personnel to limit transmission."

On Tuesday, health officials in the U.S. said the new coronavirus had met two of the three criteria of a pandemic — causing sickness and death and sustained person-to-person transmission.

Dr. Bhagyashri Navalkele, medical director of Infection Prevention at UMMC, said Thursday at the news conference that the department has been actively working the state Health Department.

Coronavirus, explained: Everything to know about COVID-19, the deadly virus alarming the world

"We've implemented screening tools for catching any patient who might be coming into an emergency room or clinic, asking them questions like if they have traveled outside the country in the last 30 days and if they have traveled to China," Navalkele said.

"If the patient has signs and symptoms of the virus, they would be immediately placed under isolation."

Navalkele also said the hospital is working with health care workers to prevent the least possible exposure of the virus by educating them about the use of protective  masks, gloves and gowns. 

Byers said the state Health Department is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in identifying those in Mississippi who have traveled to China so they could make direct contact with them.

It is also working with the University of Southern Mississippi following the recent return of the school's Southern Chorale from a trip to South Korea.  According to the CDC, there is a coronavirus outbreak in South Korea. Officials there have upgraded their response level to “grave”  — the highest level.

On Monday, the CDC issued a Level 3 South Korea travel warning — advising against all nonessential travel to the country.

Return from South Korea:Students, faculty in USM's Southern Chorale are self-monitoring for the coronavirus

"While South Korea has seen wide spread transmission, it has not risen to the level of China. We are communicating with the USM student health center but the health department will not be making any physical contact with these students. We will not quarantine anyone."

Instead, those in the chorale group from USM — 51 students and 11 faculty and trip guests — are being told to self-monitor for possible symptoms.

"That is what is appropriate and current guidance from the CDC," Byers said.

In the U.S., as of Thursday evening, at least 60 people were known to be infected with the virus, according to John Hopkins.The first confirmed case of the coronavirus in the U.S. was reported on Jan. 30 in a person-to-person spread.

Mortality rate: Flu vs. coronavirus

The mortality rate for COVID-19 is difficult to ascertain, according to Dr. Jason Parham, director of the UMMC's Department of Medicine's Division of Infectious Diseases.

"The best estimate is about 2% based on the cases that they are seeing inside of China but it could go down depending on how we can look and get some of those less symptomatic patients counted as being infected with the virus," Parham said during the news conference Thursday.

However, other factors — according to Parham — play a role in mortality.

"A lot the cases have been sick patients who have been in the hospital, so we don’t really know who have been affected or didn’t get care or was not diagnosed and was not counted in the numbers," Parham said.

"Flu mortality for seasonal flu is somewhere around 0.1% so this is potentially 20 times as fatal based on the early numbers. But, like flu, people who have other health problems are at higher risk."

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What is the coronavirus?

COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in late December. The virus is thought to originally have spread through animals at a seafood and meat market. 

Common signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

  • As of Thursday, there were coronavirus cases in seven states: California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Texas, Washington and Arizona.
  • The death toll on Thursday night stood at 2,814 worldwide with a total of 82,756 cases in 50 counties, according to John Hopkins.  All but 65 of the deaths have been in mainland China. 

Coronaviruses can also cause the common cold as well as more serious illnesses like SARS or severe acute respiratory syndrome — a potentially deadly illness that spread around the world in 2003.

How can you prepare for the coronavirus?

The CDC recommends taking preventative measures to decrease the likelihood of infection, as there is no available vaccine: 

  • Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
  • Avoid touching the face with unwashed hands
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick
  • Cough or sneeze into your elbow or use a tissue to cover it, and throw the tissue away
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Contact Wilton Jackson at @wcjackson@gannett.com. Follow @wiltonreports on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Clarion-Ledger: 'A rapidly evolving situation': Mississippi health officials prepare for coronavirus

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