>> Hello everyone.
Thank you for being here.
I'm county executive Joe Parii
.
I am joined by America's mayor
of Madison Ross Conway Janelle
Heinrich, the director of
public health Madison Dane
County and Amanda Kita
Yarborough all who is
Epidemiologist with with publc
health Madison Dane County.
The mayor and I are going to
make a couple of remarks And
then we and Janelle and Amanda
from Public Health Madison
County will be available to
answer questions.
Today we were notified by
the Centers for Disease Contrl
and the State Department Of
Health that the 12th confirmed
case of the novel Corona Virus
in the United States is an
individual here in Dane County
Public Health Madison and Dane
County will share what it can
about this case.
After some comments from
the mayor tonight, Dane County
and the city of Madison Sharea
combined public health
department over the past coupe
of Weeks.
As awareness of the number of
cases of the virus have grown,
city and county teams have ben
working to prepare in the evet
that Corona virus made its way
here.
Preparedness for these types
Situations takes many forms.
Last week, for example, New
questions were added to
the protocols used by the Dane
County 9 1 1 center to screen
those calling for an ambulance
because of breathing problems
Problems.
These questions are intended o
give emergency responders
Better information before
entering the homes of sick
individuals.
Information That can help them
prepare.
Dane County Emergency
Management has shared guidance
with the EMS responders
countywide about the Best ways
to protect themselves.
Being mindful of gloves, masks
and cleaners They should use.
They should be using on calls
for personal protection.
We have communicated guidance
to our county employees of was
they can Stay healthy.
Public health has been busy
coordinating city county And
state resources making sure we
were ready in the event this
virus Presented here.
Given what we have seen in
other parts of the globe, it's
reasonable to assume today's
news will not be the last
positive case We hear about in
our region in advance of this
public Health is in the proces
of creating a new Corona virus
hotline to Keep the public
informed of the latest guidane
involving this Virus.
Public health will be posting
regular updates Hotline the Wb
page and social media.
The overall risk we face is
very low.
We are at a much greater risk
Of getting influenza influenza
but the same things that help
Reduce the risk of influenza
also reduce the risk of Corona
.
The news could change a lot
over the next several days and
weeks.
Sometimes it may change severl
times a day.
Together we will respond As we
do with any challenge.
We will coordinate our effort,
keep the public Informed.
Support each other.
Look out for one another and
care For our friends and
neighbors.
I'm going to hand it over to
Mia Rose con-way now And then
all of us will be available fr
questions.
Thank you.
County executive and Thank you
all for being here.
I'm Satirists Conway, the mayr
of Madison.
And I just want to reiterate a
few things that the county
Executive said and maybe add a
few more details so Earlier
today the Wisconsin Department
of Health Services announced
That we do have a person with
the novel Corona virus Here in
Dane County and that patient
Was traveling from China and
went immediately from
the airport To the UW hospital
and clinics.
They were Tested for Corona
virus and have been isolated t
home since then.
They are doing well.
They are still in isolation at
home And will remain there
until testing shows that they
No longer have the Corona
virus.
I want to emphasize this today
in Dane County A person's
chances of getting sick from
this novel Coronavirus remains
very low.
We are ready for this.
Our public Health staff plan
and train and practice for
Novel viruses like this and
they are prepared For the past
month.
We have been preparing For a
confirmed case of the novel
Corona Virus with our State ad
local health care providers ad
we will continue To work
closely with them to monitor
and respond to this Situation.
The city and the county have
taken a number of steps To be
prepared.
In addition to what the county
executive talked about, we
initiated an incident command
structure within public Health
on January 22nd to organize Ad
coordinate our response to ths
virus.
And That means that there are
more than 50 people Who are
actively involved training and
ready To respond.
The county executive and I get
Daily updates on information
about what's going On in
the county and what
preparations are underway.
Our public health department
stays in regular contact With
health care providers and they
give updates and information.
As the county executive said o
first responders and our
emergency Management provided
partners the Public Health
Department Is attending all of
the Centers for Disease Contrl
National calls and webinars to
make sure that we are up to
date On the latest information
and they are sharing
information In our business
community with school districs
and with higher Education
institutions across Dane Couny
.
>> We are updating the public
health Madison Dane County
website and social media pages
daily sometimes More than daiy
with information not just abot
what's Happening here in Dade
County but what's happening
statewide and across
The country as necessary and
our staff Continue to respond
to questions from the public.
I want to reemphasize that we
do Have a hotline for updates
on the novel Corona virus and
that number is 6 0 8 2 4 3 0 5
8 7.
Again, the hotline for updates
on the Novel Corona virus is 6
0 8 2 4 3 0 5 8 7.
I'd like to close by saying
that I call on everyone in
Madison and Dane County to be
aware particularly in this tie
Of unconscious or implicit
bias.
The Centers for Disease Contrl
and Prevention do not Recommed
isolation, quarantine or
testing of people Who have ben
who are of a particular
Ethnicity or have been
traveling in Particular regios
but are not necessarily
symptomatic or have not Been
screened at the airport.
You cannot tell If someone has
a risk of spreading the novel
Corona Virus by what they look
like.
>> This public health concern
will not be solved With fear
and discrimination.
We will fight it With
compassion and with science ad
I remind you that we have our
director of public health
Madison Dane County, Janelle
Heinrich here and Amanda Kita
Yarbrough who is an
epidemiology With public healh
Madison and Dane County as lot
Along with myself and
the county executive and we'd
be happy to take questions If
we can state that this is an
adult who recently Returned
from travel in China.
Other than that, we're not
providing Any additional
information to protect
the individuals.
Confidentiality is Yeah.
>> We're not we're Not
providing that identifies.
That's just a decision That
we've made to help support
the child.
Why are we obsessed with gendr
?
You don't need that at all.
We do have a lot of parents ad
We're worried about that
people's Anyway.
>> We are not identifying Any
of the contacts other than if
people are perceived To be at
risk or meet the screening
criteria.
We will be in touch with them.
We were not linking to any
other institutions So that ths
would likely not be the case.
>> I think we Need to realize
that we have an emerging healh
condition that we're all
monitoring Globally and
locally.
So I think we'd be Remiss to
think that this is the only
case that we might Ever have
and that could be something
that could happen at any point
In time.
>> Said that troubled by this
individual Individual directly
Or to UW Hospital then after
care But in terms of
the airport have the individul
Been screened prior to arrivig
in Madison At a at another
airport location or
The individual arrived?
Prior to screening criteria
that were placed By the federl
government.
What do we know about if Well
when this person was on an
airplane?
What are the risk to people
around the risk Remains low.
We are in contact with the CDC
to Identify what that process
might be.
I will say that this Individul
we could consider the gold str
of People who who may have had
to meet the Screening criteri.
>> They've done everything
right.
And including wearing a mask
and reporting Directly to
the E.D. upon arrival.
Things like Your Doing anythig
.
How is this person getting
supplies Like?
Sure we can answer that
question.
I guess.
Hi, I'm Amanda Kita Yarbrough,
an epidemiologist with Public
Health Madison County.
We are in touch with this
person everyday Making sure
that they're staying home.
We ask them if they need any
supplies And if they do then e
work to provide Those supplies
.
We're not releasing that
information right now.
We're constantly Urging
situation where we're gatherig
information.
Clearly this was A red hair.
I know that there is A
screening protocol in place at
some major airports.
Is there any need in Dane
County to do any Level of
surveillance or screening or s
the screening taking Place at
these larger hubs sufficient o
they Are screening people for
symptoms at the larger hubs ad
then They're also collecting
contact information from
everyone And people who have o
symptoms will be allowed to
continue on to their Final
destination which could be Dae
County or anywhere In
Wisconsin.
And then that contact
information will be Shared wih
the local health departments
and then we will contact that
person To determine exactly
where and when they traveled f
they have symptoms.
And the CDC is recommending
various steps based On their
answers to those questions.
>> People We are not going to
be discussing the Contacts of
this individual to protect
their confidential And their
health information On That
that's in process identifying
Identifying the flights and
identifying the contacts and
then they'll be notified By
their various local health
departments.
>> But the testing would only
be recommended if they had any
symptoms Just for the record.
You say where We're not going
to be disclosing that means by
Means by recovery and does tht
mean the person the patient is
going or Sharing the virus
meaning they're no longer
contagious?
I know there's some words that
are Out there nationally as fr
as a lot of the cases that are
overseas.
Can you describe what it might
be one of the patients
recovered or when They're no
longer symptomatic?
We're still working with
The CDC.
I mean there have only been
twelve cases here in the U.S.
So I think everyone is still
learning but we'll be
monitoring This person
regularly both you know, by
phone, by lab and Make a
determination about when
they're no longer infectious
And then can be, you know, go
about their daily lives,
describe what the symptoms for
The person go directly to That
was personal health informatin
.
So So we were notified today
that we have a positive case.
Late last week I believe it ws
the 30th And why did they come
in?
They arrived and immediately
went to Any other Any other
questions?
I just want to clarify
the airport, the mirrors,
Madison Hospital I believe thy
did arrive in Madison And went
on They flew into Madison
directly.
I do not know their full travl
manifest to be able to discloe
that.
But they went from the airport
.
That is what we understand.
Sorry, could you spell your
name Heinrich?
Janelle J and E l last name he
i n R i c h Amanda ay a nda
Kita ya bro k i t a hyphen Y a
r b r o Thanks everybody.