This is an evolving situation, so information and recommendations are likely to change. For more information on the current situation, visit the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html websites.
How to protect yourself?
Take the same precautions recommended for avoiding colds and flu:
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough
Stay informed. Visit the MDH and CDC websites.
CDC has recommended no travel to China and South Korea for the time being. If you are planning a trip to China and South Korea in the next few months, keep an eye on the news and on CDC’s Travel Health Notices. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices
If you recently returned from China and are feeling sick, call your health care provider and tell them where you traveled and what symptoms you are experiencing.
At this point, CDC does not recommend the use of facemasks as a preventive measure for the general public. Facemasks are typically used in clinical settings to prevent spread of diseases from ill patients to health care workers who are in close contact with them.
There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19; however, research is underway.
What are the Minnesota Department of Health and Polk County Public Health doing?
- Health officials around the world are monitoring the situation carefully and working hard to learn more about the virus.
- Polk County Public Health (PCPH) has been in contact and is working in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). MDH is in contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as other partners to share information.
- Information has been shared with health care providers around the state on current recommendations for screening and testing.
- MDH and PCPH have a history of responding to infectious diseases. MDH and PCPH are implementing plans to prepare for the possibility that we will see a case(s) in Minnesota.