San Diego County monitors potential COVID-19 cases

The local medical community has been working with San Diego County health officials on monitoring potential cases of the new coronavirus or COVID-19 in people who have traveled to China or been in close contact with a confirmed case.

The county Health and Human Services Agency follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for risk assessment and management of people with potential COVID-19 or patients under investigation.

Due to patient privacy, HHSA will not release information on patients under investigation for COVID-19 or people under self-quarantine.

HHSA is releasing the number of patients under investigation, as well as those who are under self-quarantine. Figures are updated Fridays.

Patients under investigation

Here's the process HHSA follows for patients who arrive at one of the 11 U.S. airports where the CDC is conducting screening as people return from areas of mainland China other than Hubei province:

If patients have no symptoms, they are self-quarantined at home for self-monitoring with public health supervision. Self-quarantine lasts 14 days.

If patients develop symptoms – fever, cough or difficulty breathing – they should call the county health department; if they are determined to meet the CDC guidelines to be considered a patients under investigation, then transport to hospital is arranged, the patients under investigation is placed in isolation and specimens are collected and sent to the CDC for confirmation of COVID-19.

The patient's symptoms determine where the patients under investigation is in isolation until test results are returned.

Manage severe symptoms

If patients have severe illness, such as difficulty breathing or high fever, they remain hospitalized and in isolation.

If patients are in isolation at a hospital, the hospital treats and monitors the patients under investigation and any hospital personnel with direct patient contact to the patients under investigation.

Care for mild symptoms

If symptoms are mild, the patients under investigation are released to mandatory isolation at home, under public health supervision until results return.

If patients are negative, the patients will continue home quarantine and self-monitoring with public health supervision until the 14-days quarantine period is over.

If a patient under investigation is under self-quarantine at home, the following takes place:

Patients are under self-observation and remain alert for possible symptoms.

Patients are asked to take their temperature twice daily and write it on their log. HHSA contacts them daily – by phone or text or both – to find out if they have developed symptoms. Contact will last for 14 days.

Patients are asked to remain at home to the extent possible.

Patients are asked to avoid public or group activities, such as going to the movies, parties, etc.

Patients are asked to use good hand hygiene and to wash their hands thoroughly with water and soap.

How to Protect Yourself from Coronaviruses

It's important for the public to be prepared should a local COVID-19 outbreak occur. To limit the

spread of infection, you should:

Wash your hands often to help protect you from germs.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

If you are sick, stay home and keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, then was your hands.

Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC's website, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.