CORONA VIRUS UPDATE

Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, is a kind of common virus that can cause respiratory tract infection.  It can affect your upper respiratory tract - sinuses, nose, throat or lower respiratory tract, windpipe and lungs.  Most coronaviruses aren't dangerous.

How Fast Is It Spreading?

The number of people infected by SARS-CoV-2 changes every day.  In the April blog, the number of effected as of March 23^rd more than 340,000 people had contracted the virus worldwide, with 14,000 deaths.  It was also noted the CDC indicated children were not at higher risk for COVID-19 than adults. 

Symptoms

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms ranging from mild to severe.  Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms or combinations of symptoms may have COVID-19:

• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Additional symptoms have been identified and added to the list.   If you experience at least two of these additional symptoms:

• Fever
• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

When to Seek Medical Attention

If you have any of these emergency warning signs* for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately.  This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion or inability to arouse
• Bluish lips or face

Call 911 if you have a medical emergency.  Notify the operator that you have, or think you might have, COVID-19.  If possible, put on a cloth face covering before medical help arrives.

What can you do to protect yourself?

If you have a serious underlying medical condition:

• Stay home if possible.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or clean them with an alcohol-based sanitizer.  This kills viruses on your hands.

• Practice social distancing - you can have and spread the virus without knowing it.  If you do have to go out, stay at least 6 feet away from others.

• Don’t touch your face - Coronaviruses can live on surfaces from minutes to several hours dependent on the surface.  If they get on your hands and you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, they can get into your body.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched services.
• Call your healthcare professional if you have concerns about COVID-19 and your underlying condition or if you are sick.
• For more information on steps you can take to protect yourself, see CDC’s How to Protect Yourself

Testing for COVID-19

There are two tests available for COVID-19. 

• A viral test – identifies if you have a current infection.

• An antibody test – checks the blood by looking for antibodies, which show if you had a previous infection with the virus.  Depending on when the infection occurred and the timing of the test, the test may not find antibodies with a current COVID-19 infection. Antibodies are proteins that help fight off infections.  Antibody tests should not be used as the only way to diagnose someone as being currently sick with COVID-19.  

It can take 1-3 weeks to make antibodies after symptoms occur.  Antibody tests are slowly becoming available through healthcare providers.  It’s unclear if antibodies can provide protection or immunity against getting infected again. This means that we do not know at this time if antibodies make you immune to the virus.

Who should be tested

To learn if you have a current infection, viral tests are used, but not everyone needs this test.

• Most will experience a mild case of the illness and can recover at home without medical care and may not need to be tested.
• CDC has guidance for who should be tested, but decisions about testing are made by state and local external icon health departments or healthcare providers.
• If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and want to get tested, call your healthcare provider first.
• You can also visit your state or local health department’s website to look for the latest local information on testing.
• Although supplies of tests are increasing, it may still be difficult to find a place to get tested. 

L.A. County announced anyone wanting to be tested can be tested, with or without symptoms.* 

Los Angeles Offers Free COVID-19 Tests for All Residents

April 30, 10:49 a.m.

All residents in Los Angeles County should be able to receive a coronavirus test, whether or not they have COVID-19 symptoms, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday evening.

Testing is by appointment only at coronavirus.lacity.org/testing, and tests are available at eight places in the city of Los Angeles, according to the announcement.

The website has links to schedule an appointment, find a nearby testing location, and read frequently asked questions. It also has information about testing for front-line health care workers, skilled nursing facilities, and Kaiser Permanente members. Residents can also watch a test preparation video and learn about test results.

Priority for same- or next-day testing will still be given to people with symptoms such as a fever, coughing, and shortness of breath, the site says, and residents must indicate their symptoms when scheduling a test.

People who have severe symptoms such as extreme shortness of breath should still contact a doctor or call 911.

Results

• If you test positive for COVID-19 by a viral test, know what protective steps to take if you are sick or caring for someone.

• If you test negative for COVID-19 by a viral test, you probably were not infected at the time your sample was collected. However, that does not mean you will not get sick. The test result only means that you did not have COVID-19 at the time of testing.

How to get a viral test

COVID-19 testing differs by location.  If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and want to get tested, call your healthcare provider first.  You can also visit your state or local external icon health department’s website to look for the latest local information on testing.  Although supplies of tests are increasing, it may still be difficult to find a place to get tested in different counties or jurisdictions.

What to do after a viral test

For your test results, check with the group that performed your test, such as your healthcare provider or your health department.  Check the CDC website to locate your health department information.  How long it will take to get your test results back depends on the test used.

• If you test positive for COVID-19, know what protective steps to take If You Are Sick or Caring for Someone.

• If you test negative for COVID-19, you probably were not infected at the time your sample was collected.  However, that does not mean you will not get sick.  It is possible you were early in your infection when the sample was collected, you can also test positive later.  Or you could be exposed later and develop the illness.  In other words, a negative test result does not mean you won’t get sick later!  This means you could still spread the virus!  Know how to protect yourself and others!

The CDC is evaluating commercial tests

The CDC is evaluating the performance of commercially manufactured antibody tests in collaboration with other government agencies.  The FDA has authorized emergency use of several antibody tests.  For more information:

• FDA Emergency Use Authorizations for COVID-19external icon
• FDA: Antibody Test Validation and Education Effortsexternal icon

The CDC is conducting serologic surveillance

CDC is looking at data from antibody tests to estimate the total number of people who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the United States.  The CDC is also using the antibody test to learn more about how the body’s immune system responds to the virus and to explore how the virus spreads among people exposed to it.  Information the CDC is looking at comes from groups which include blood donors and household contacts of people who had symptoms and diagnosed with COVID-19.

Cases in the U.S.

Last updated on April 29, 2020

• TOTAL CASES - 1,005,147

• New Cases* - 23,901

• TOTAL DEATHS - 57,505

• New Deaths* - 2,247

Cases & Deaths by County

Select a state to view the number of cases and deaths by county. This data is courtesy of USAFacts.orgexternal icon

Want More Data?

• CDC COVID Data Tracker - Cases & Deaths by State

• COVIDView – A Weekly Surveillance Summary of U.S. COVID-19 Activity
• Previous U.S. COVID-19 Case Data
• FAQ: COVID-19 Data and Surveillance
• Testing in the U.S.
• World Map
• Health Departments

ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL, STAY SAFE!

• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/testing.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/diagnostic-testing.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/serology-overview.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html
• https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/covidnet/COVID19_3.html
• https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200124/coronavirus-2020-outbreak-latest-updates