FIRST CASE OF 2019 NOVEL
CORONAVIRUS IN A WISCONSIN
RESIDENT.
>> IN OUR FIRST LOOK TONIGHT,
STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED
WEDNESDAY THAT THE NOVEL
CORONAVIRUS HAD REACHED
WISCONSIN.
THE 12TH CONFIRMED CASE IN THE
UNITED STATES.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME SOON AFTER
THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL,
THE ONLY LAB CURRENTLY TESTING
FOR THE VIRUS, CONFIRMED THE
RESULTS.
WHILE THE PERSON'S IDENTITY IS
CONFIDENTIAL, LOCAL OFFICIALS
HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE LATER
WEDNESDAY SAYING THE POSITIVE
CASE IS IN DANE COUNTY.
>> 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 HE HEAR ABOUT
IN OUR REGION.
>> TONIGHT THE LATEST ON THE
CORONAVIRUS IN WISCONSIN.
WE ARE JOINED AGAIN BY THE STATE
EPIDEMIOLOGIST RYAN WESTERGAARD.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
WHAT ARE THE LATEST NUMBERS IN
WISCONSIN?
>> SINCE WE SPOKE LAST WEEK, THE
EPIDEMIC OF THE NOVEL
CORONAVIRUS HAS CONTINUED TO
EXPAND GLOBALLY.
THERE WERE ABOUT 14,000 REPORTED
CASES LAST WEEK.
IT'S INCREASED TO 31,000 NOW.
IN THE UNITED STATES SO FAR IT'S
BEEN RELATIVELY STABLE, A TOTAL
OF 12 CASES, AS YOU MENTIONED,
TEN IN RETURNING TRAVELERS AND
TWO CLOSE HOUSEHOLD CONTACTS.
SO IN WISCONSIN WE HAD OUR FIRST
CONFIRMED CASE TODAY AND THAT IS
ONE OUT OF A TOTAL OF 14
INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN UNDER
INVESTIGATION.
THE RESULTS OF NINE OF THOSE
INDIVIDUALS HAVE COME BACK
NEGATIVE.
WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR ABOUT
FOUR MORE.
SO THE ONE CASE RIGHT NOW IS
ISOLATED IN DANE COUNTY AND
WE'RE DOING ALL WE CAN TO
CONTAIN THE SPREAD FURTHER.
>> WHEN DO YOU EXPECT TO GET
RESULTS FROM THOSE OTHER PENDING
CASES?
>> THEY CAN COME AT ANY TIME.
THE LILT LIMITATION IS THE FACT THE
TEST IS ONLY BEING DONE IN
ATLANTA AT THE CDC.
THEY'VE MANUFACTURED ADDITIONAL
TEST KITS AND WILL BE
DISSEMINATING THAT TO STATE
LABORATORIES.
THAT WILL SHORTEN THE TURNAROUND
TIME.
BUT NOW IT'S A TWO TO THREE-DAY
TURNAROUND TIME.
SO IT COULD BE ANYWHERE BETWEEN
NOW AND THE BEGINNING OF, MIDDLE
PART OF NEXT WEEK BEFORE WE SO THERE ARE MORE OF THESE
PEOPLE UNDER INVESTIGATION, THES
KIND OF PENDING CASES, SINCE THE
LAST TIME WE SPOKE.
HOW DID THEY RESULT?
WERE THESE PEOPLE WHO TRAVELED,
WHO HAD SYMPTOMS?
>> IT'S A COMBINATION.
TO BE CONSIDERED A PERSON UNDER
INVESTIGATION -- AND THERE'S A
SPECIFIC DEFINITION OF THAT --
YOU HAVE TO HAVE SYMPTOMS
CONSISTENT WITH A RESPIRATORY
VIRUS, WHICH SHARES MANY
SYMPTOMS WITH INFLUENZA AND A
WHOLE BUNCH OF VIRUSES WE
UNDERSTAND MUCH BETTER.
ALSO, YOU NEED TO HAVE CONTACT
TO THE GEOGRAPHIC AREA WHERE THE
VIRUS HAS BEEN SPREADING OR A
CONFIRMED CASE.
A SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVE
MET THAT CRITERIA TO BE TESTED.
MOST OF THEM WE'VE HAD NEGATIVE
RESPONSE SO FAR.
>> HOW HAS THE STATE'S RESPONSE
CHANGED NOW THAT THERE IS A
CONFIRMED CASE IN WISCONSIN?
>> WE WERE NOT SURPRISED WHEN WE
GOT THE CASE.
MOST OF THE PEOPLE TESTED HAD
SOME RISK.
WE WERE PREPARED FOR WHAT WAS
GOING TO HAPPEN.
SO WE'RE STILL NOW IN
CONTAINMENT MODE.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS WHEN WE HOPE
TO IDENTIFY ANYONE WHO'S
INFECTED EARLY, WHICH WE'VE
DONE.
WE'VE ISOLATED THEM, WHICH MEANS
GET THEM OUT OF CLOSE CONTACT
WITH OTHER INDIVIDUALS TO WHOM
THEY COULD SPREAD THE VIRUS.
WE ALSO TO DO HOMEWORK WITH,
CONTACT INVESTIGATION TO SEE
WHILE THE PERSON WAS ILL ARE
THERE INDIVIDUALS THAT MAY HAVE
BEEN IN CLOSE CONTACT THAT WE
NEED TO SUPERVISOR MORE CLOSELY.
>> YOU CALL THAT A CONTACT
TRACING?
AND YOU HAVE DONE THAT WITH THIS
DANE COUNTY PERSON WHO TESTED
POSITIVE, BECAUSE THIS PERSON
TRAVELED FROM CHINA, FLEW INTO
DANE COUNTY REGIONAL AIRPORT,
THEN WENT DIRECTLY TO THE UW
HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.
AND SO DESCRIBE SPECIFICALLY
KIND OF THE CONTEXT THAT YOU'RE
TRYING TO TRACE DOWN THAT THIS
PERSON MAY HAVE HAD CONTACT
WITH?
>> YES.
THIS IS A TRIED AND TRUE METHOD
IN PUBLIC HEALTH, SHOE LEATHER
EPIDEMIOLOGY, UNDERSTANDING
THEIR TRAVEL AND THE PLACES
THEY'VE BEEN.
WE HAVE A DEFINITION OF WHAT
CONSTITUTES A CONTACT THAT HAS
SOME RISK.
SO DURING THE PERIOD WHERE THE
PERSON WAS -- BEFORE THEY WERE
DIAGNOSED AND HAD ILLNESS, WE GO
HE TO SEE HAVE HEALTH CARE
PROVIDERS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH
THEM, HAVE HOUSEHOLD CONTACTS
BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THEM.
THERE'S PROTOCOLS IN TERMS OF
PEOPLE WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN
WITHIN SIX FEET ON THE PLANE.
THOSE PEOPLE GET NOTIFIED AND
EVALUATED IN A STANDARDIZED WAY,
GET OFFERED TESTING IF THEY HAVE
SYMPTOMS.
>> HAVE THOSE PEOPLE BEEN
CONTACTED AT THIS POINT?
>> THAT'S STANDARD PROCEDURE.
THOSE ARE UNDERWAY.
BECAUSE IT'S A LONG TRAIL
POTENTIALLY FOR ALL THESE CASES,
A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS, SOMETIMES
THESE EFFORTS GET COORDINATED BY
VARIOUS JURISDICTIONS, INCLUDING
THE STATE, LOCAL HEALTH
DEPARTMENTS AND ALSO NATIONALLY,
THE CDC, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT
INVOLVES TRAVEL BETWEEN SEVERAL
STATES.
>> WHAT SHOULD THE PUBLIC KNOW
ABOUT THIS?
>> WELL, OUR MESSAGE CONTINUES
TO BE THAT RIGHT NOW THE RISK OF
PEOPLE GETTING SICK WITH
CORONAVIRUS IS VERY LOW IN THE
COMMUNITY.
BUT WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF
RESPIRATORY VIRUS SEASON IN
GENERAL AND HAPPEN TO HAVE HAD A
BAD WEEK IN TERMS OF INFLUENZA.
OUR TEAM RELEASED THEIR NUMBERS
AND THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 3,000
INDIVIDUALS IN WISCONSIN ALONE
IN THE WEEK WHO TESTED
POSITIVE FOR INFLUENZA.
SO INFLUENZA CAUSES A COMPARABLE
ILLNESS TO THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS
AND RIGHT NOW IT IS A MUCH
GREATER THREAT TO THE PUBLIC
THAN THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS.
SO OUR MESSAGE, WHAT PEOPLE
SHOULD KNOW ABOUT, IS LET'S DO
OUR BEST TO BE INFORMED AND
PREPARED FOR THE NEW VIRUS, BUT
DON'T FORGET ALL THE THINGS WE
KNOW HOW TO DO TO PREVENT THE
SPREAD OF VIRUSES WE KNOW ABOUT
AND INFLUENZA IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT OF THOSE BECAUSE WE
ARE APPROACHING THE PEAK OF THE
SEASON RIGHT NOW.
>> THERE'S A COUPLE DIFFERENT
STRAINS OF INFLUENZA OUT THERE,
RIGHT?
>> RIGHT.
IT'S A TRICKY VIRUS.
IT MUTATES ON THE FLY, WHICH IS
WHY WE NEED TO HAVE A NEW
VACCINE EVERY SEASON, BECAUSE IT
CHANGES.
THE VACCINE IS NEVER PERFECT
BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT THE
VIRUS CHANGES.
BUT WE HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION
TO KNOW THAT ON AVERAGE IF
EVERYONE GOT THE INFLUENZA
VACCINE, WE WOULD CUT DOWN THE
NUMBER OF CASES SUBSTANTIALLY.
SO THAT'S STILL OUR
RECOMMENDATION FOR PEOPLE, TO GO
OUT AND GET THEIR VACCINE AS
SOON AS THEY CAN.
>> BUT MEANWHILE, UNLIKE THE
INFLUENZA THAT YOU HAD THESE
PEAK NUMBERS OF THIS WEEK, YOU
ARE ABLE, IEWSH YOU'RE HOPEFUL, TO
CONTAIN THIS CORONAVIRUS IN THIS
COMMUNITY.
>> THAT'S STILL OUR GOAL.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHERE WE
ARE IN THE UNITED STATES WITH
THE CONTAINMENT RESPONSE IS VERY
DIFFERENT, WHAT'S GOING ON IN
CHINA, WHICH IS A MITIGATION
RESPONSE.
THERE THEY HAVE SUSTAINED
TRANSMISSION IN THE COMMUNITIES.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING OUR VERY
BEST TO PREVENT FROM HAPPENING
HERE IN THE U.S. AND WISCONSIN.
SO FAR THE PIECES ARE IN PLACE
AND THE SYSTEM IS WORKING.
SO WE'RE GOING TO STAY AT IT.
>> GREAT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
FOR IN-DEPTH REPORTING ON
CORONAVIRUS IN WISCONSIN AND
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE
VISIT OUR JOURNALISM