Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), an emerging respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus, was initially detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in December of 2019 and has since spread internationally. As of February 26th, over 2,700 deaths have been reported out of 81,000+ documented cases of COVID-19 in 37 countries.
While the vast majority of infections have been reported in China to date (96% as of this writing) the growing number of cases in other countries, including cases of unknown origin, has caused increasing concern. On February 26, 2020 the number of new cases reported outside of China in a 24-hour period exceeded those reported within China for the first time and the CDC confirmed the first US case of unknown origin.
This situation has been evolving rapidly. For the most up to date and reliable information please refer to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Current situational updates can be found at the following links:
Please refer to your state or local department of public health for additional information about plans and guidance for your area.
Pandemic Preparedness
Public health officials have urged stakeholders to consider the potential impact a pandemic response would have on communities, businesses, and individuals. As such, it is imperative that facilities review and update their emergency plans in preparation for a possible pandemic event.
A pandemic response will involve the entire community. If you have not done so already, you should reach out to your local public health department to ensure you have access to the most relevant information before and during a pandemic event. The following resources are a great place to start when considering how to prepare:
- CDC
- Non-pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) Planning Guidance and Checklists: https://www.cdc.gov/nonpharmaceutical-interventions/tools-resources/planning-guidance-checklists.html
- CDC Get Your Workplace Ready for Pandemic Flu: https://www.cdc.gov/nonpharmaceutical-interventions/pdf/gr-pan-flu-work-set.pdf
- Pandemic Flu Checklist for: Workplace Administrators: https://www.cdc.gov/nonpharmaceutical-interventions/pdf/pan-flu-checklist-workplace-administrators-item1.pdf
- Preparing communities for potential spread of COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/preparing-communities.html
- Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/guidance-business-response.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fguidance-business-response.html
- WHO:
- Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/getting-workplace-ready-for-covid-19.pdf
- Checklist for influenza pandemic preparedness planning: https://www.who.int/influenza/resources/documents/FluCheck6web.pdf
- ZAHP Resources for disease preparedness:
- Secure Zoo Strategy: https://securezoostrategy.org/build-facility-plan/
- Concept of Operations Plan for the Management of an Avian Influenza Outbreak at a Zoological Institution: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/downloads/animal_diseases/ai/hpai-zoo-conops.pdf
- HPAI Zoological Preparedness web exercise: https://zahp.aza.org/FADresponseexercise/story_html5.html
- National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV):
- Current contacts: http://www.nasphv.org/Documents/StatePublicHealthVeterinariansByState.pdf
- Compendium of Measures to Prevent Disease Associated with Animals in Public Settings: http://www.nasphv.org/documentsCompendiumAnimals.html
- Compendium of Veterinary Standard Precautions for Zoonotic Disease Prevention in Veterinary Personnel: http://www.nasphv.org/documentsCompendiaVet.html
- American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) Infectious Disease Manual: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.aazv.org/resource/resmgr/idm/idm_updated_september_2019.pdf
- Please note the Coronavirus fact sheet on page 160 does not include considerations for the current strain
General Information and Fact Sheets
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. The novel (new) coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is thought to have emerged from an animal source as initial infections were linked to a live animal market, but no specific source has been confirmed. COVID-19 is spreading person to person with current symptoms including mild to severe resperatory illness with fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
Fact Sheets and additional information:
- CDC Covid-19 Fact sheet: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019-ncov-factsheet.pdf
- CDC COVID-19 and Animals FAQ: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#2019-nCoV-and-animals
- Introduction to nCOV online course: https://openwho.org/courses/introduction-to-ncov
- World Organisation for Animal Health (OiE) Questions and Answers on the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): https://www.oie.int/en/scientific-expertise/specific-information-and-recommendations/questions-and-answers-on-2019novel-coronavirus/
Additional Resources
- WHO database of publications on COVID-19: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/global-research-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov
- Protection measures for recent travelers (past 14 days) https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
- WHO recommendations to reduce risk of transmission to humans from animals in live markets https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus/who-recommendations-to-reduce-risk-of-transmission-of-emerging-pathogens-from-animals-to-humans-in-live-animal-markets
- WHO Public Health Emergency Dashboard: https://extranet.who.int/publicemergency