Have questions about novel coronavirus in Florida? There’s a state hotline for that
Florida health officials have set up a hotline for people in the state with questions about the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, which originated in China and has since spread across the globe.
The Florida Department of Health’s dedicated call center for COVID-19 questions and concerns opened on March 2. It’s operational 24/7. The phone number is 866-779-6121, or you can email COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
“Epidemiological staff members are also available via phone at county health departments 24 hours a day,” a spokesman for the Department of Health said.
If you need help finding your county health department, visit http://www.floridahealth.gov/all-county-locations.html.
The state health department has also set up a COVID-19 website with information on the respiratory disease. That can be found at http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19/.
What can I do to reduce my chance of getting novel coronavirus?
The most important thing you can do to minimize your risk of getting infected is frequently washing your hands, thoroughly, for more than 20 seconds at a time.
Brittany Kmush, an assistant professor of public health at Syracuse University who specializes in the risks associated with infectious diseases, said there’s an easy way to tell if you’re washing your hands properly using the happy birthday song as a guide.
“You should be washing your hands while singing happy birthday,” Kmush said. “Make sure you get underneath the nails, between all your fingers, and if you wear rings, make sure you clean around them.”
South Floridians should also think of preparing for novel coronavirus the same way they would prepare for a hurricane.
That means following official sources of information — federal and state health agencies — and stocking up on many of the same supplies, said Eric McNulty, associate director of the the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, a Harvard University program that works with health officials to manage infectious diseases.
That way you’re prepared for a large-scale coronavirus outbreak that would require you to stay inside for a few days.
Oh, and about those masks. Those are good to wear if you’re already sick, because it will reduce your likelihood of infecting others, but most store-bought masks not advanced enough to prevent particles of the virus from entering your respiratory system.
And for medical-grade masks, wearing them might actually increase your chance of getting infected because most people don’t know how to use them properly and end up touching their face more.
“There’s very little evidence that wearing [face masks] will protect you, but it would prevent much of your secretions from getting out and infecting other people, as that’s where most of the virus particles are,” Kmush said.
OK, I think I’m sick and it might be coronavirus. Should I go to the hospital?
The initial symptoms associated with novel coronavirus include fever and dry cough, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should go to the hospital for treatment.
Jose G. Castro — a physician and infectious disease specialist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine — shared his understanding based on the latest science of when to go to the hospital if you think you might have COVID-19.
Castro said you should probably simply stay home if you start to feel sick with a cough and a fever, unless you are experiencing shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
That advice doesn’t apply to people with other complicating health factors like a compromised immune system from cancer or a recent organ transplant, Castro said. Those people should seek medical care immediately.
“Otherwise, healthy people who develop dry cough and fever — there’s no need to panic,” Castro said. “There are a lot of viruses right now that produce these types of symptoms.”
Staying home when you feel sick is so important, Castro said, because novel coronavirus causes mild symptoms in about eight out of 10 people. That means people who don’t think they are very sick could end up spreading the disease to others who are far more likely to develop severe symptoms, like the elderly and people with compromising health conditions.
If you do believe you meet the criteria to go to the hospital — that is, you have dry cough and a fever combined with difficulty breathing or a compromised immune symptom — call ahead to let your healthcare provider know you suspect you might have novel coronavirus, then follow their advice on the best way to get to the facility.
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 10:47 AM.
