February 15, 2020
A Japanese man from central Japan’s Aichi prefecture who traveled to Maui and Oahu with his wife in late January and early February proved he had the novel coronavirus on Friday after returning home, the state health department said.
But because he showed no symptoms during his stay in Maui from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3, “there is no increased threat in Maui due to imaginable exposure,” Dr. Harris said Friday. Sarah Park, state epidemiologist, reinforced through Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino and local officials from the Department of Health.
“We doubt there’s anything out there, but we’re taking cautious precautions,” said Dr. Lorrin Pang, Maui District Health Officer at the Department of Health. “We are actively in any case on Maui that this guest has gone through.
“We want to do this temporarily and very well to prevent any spread imaginable and protect public health. Don’t worry. We are moving fast.
The fear is greatest on Oahu, where the man stayed from Feb. 3-7 and developed cold-like symptoms but did not have a fever.
Park said doctors have been alerted that conceivable cases could emerge before Friday, as the onset of the disease usually takes 14 days.
Ultimately, the Health Department will collect data on visitor itinerary on Maui and Oahu, branch spokeswoman Janice Okubo said.
The Maui Hotel and Lodging Association must “determine where you were, where you resided and who you came into contact with,” said MHLA Executive Director Rod Antone.
“We go through the hotel list and check the guest lists,” he said. “If we do anything, we will contact the DOH and follow their instructions. “
Because the man didn’t show symptoms until he arrived on Oahu, Antone “is hopeful that even though he’s here, he won’t be able to infect people. “
“But that said, we’re taking any and all precautions,” he said.
The Department of Health notified through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that he tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.
He developed severe symptoms, sought medical attention and was diagnosed with the virus after leaving Hawaii and returning to Japan, the Health Ministry said.
He travels with his wife; There is no data on his condition, Okubo said. Antone said the man is 65 years old.
He began having symptoms on Oahu and stayed at the Grand Waikikian By Hilton. The Health Ministry said the man wore a mask at various times during his vacation and wore one on his flight back to Japan. Okubo noted that masks are effective at preventing the spread. of illness.
Fever is vital as a host at an early stage of illness. He had a fever after returning to Japan, Okubo said.
Due to the timing of his symptoms, the man became inflamed in Japan or during transit, Park said in an Associated Press report.
Okubo said the Department of Health is racing to track down who the man contacted, identify them and, in all likelihood, self-monitor them, along with six other people on Maui.
The Ministry of Health told Maui News earlier this week that six other people who traveled to China outside Hubei province, where the outbreak began, were self-monitoring and had no symptoms.
This is a requirement for travelers who have visited China outside of Hubei province in the past 14 days. They are asked to stay home and avoid work, school, pickup locations, and public transportation. They also communicate daily with Ministry of Health staff. And if they expand any symptoms, they report them to their doctor right away.
Okubo and Victorino advised everyone to take precautions against respiratory illnesses, such as attending public gatherings, painting or going to school, and washing their hands frequently.
“The Department of Health expected and was ready to identify a travel-related case in Hawaii due to the widespread outbreak in China and other parts of the world,” said Chief Health Officer Bruce Anderson. “We are committed to keeping the public fully informed and will continue to provide updates as the situation evolves. “
Self-control in Maui
The six Mauis who traveled to China outside of Hubei province are asymptomatic and the threat remains low, Okubo said.
“Everyone complies voluntarily,” he said of self-checking travelers across the state. “In fact, they don’t need to make any of their loved ones or anyone sick, so everyone is fulfilling their own community. “
Maui and Oahu are, therefore, the only islands where other people manage their symptoms on their own. As of Thursday, another 47 people were under self-monitoring in Hawaii: 41 on Oahu and six on Maui, according to the Department of Health.
Only one user is currently subject to the mandatory quarantine, imposed on all travelers who have passed through Hubei province, where the virus was first detected. The Hawaii resident, who arrived at Daniel K. Inouye on Monday morning, showed no symptoms and was placed in a 14-day quarantine at Pearl Harbor.
Hawaii has not recorded any cases of the virus and no one in the state is under investigation, which involves testing for the disease.
As Chinese cities shut down, cruise ships struggle to disembark passengers, and cases emerge around the world, concerns about the virus continue to grow. COVID-19 has killed more than 1,300 people and inflamed tens of thousands worldwide since it was first detected in the city of Wuhan in China’s Hubei province in December.
Symptoms come with fever, cough and shortness of breath, and can appear as little as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure, according to the CDC. Levels of the disease range from mild to severe.
On Thursday, the CDC showed the 15th case of coronavirus in the U. S. U. S. cases in the U. S. , this time in Texas. Se have shown cases in California, Washington, Arizona, Wisconsin, Illinois and Massachusetts, according to the CDC.
Honolulu is one of 11 airports in the country that accept travelers from China, but even so, there are no direct flights from China to an airport in Hawaii, said state Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Sakahara. A direct, non-daily flight between Shanghai and Honolulu temporarily suspended on Feb. 3.
“I think it’s also vital for other people to know that . . . the other people who are on those planes from China are U. S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or members of their immediate circle of family members,” Sakahara said. “These are not Chinese visitors or anyone who has a Chinese passport at this time. “
Although Maui is the second most popular tourist destination after Oahu, the lack of direct foreign flights to the island provides an additional point of protection against the spread of the virus.
“There are no (direct) arrivals of foreigners at Kahului airport,” Sakahara said. “Returning visitors or citizens will have to be screened by Customs and Border Protection, which is only in Honolulu and Kona. “
However, doctors from the Department of Health and Veterans Affairs set out to give a “briefing session” last week to 82 Kahului airport employees, from firefighters and airport guards to airline and restaurant executives.
“We thought it was vital to get the word out to as many airport workers as possible to be more prepared and aware that we are in constant contact with other people around the world every day,” said Marvin Moniz, Maui. Departmental Manager of Airports.
Sakahara said the CDC is taking the lead with Customs and Border Protection, and “the state DOT is just supporting it right now. ” Sakahara also said the Department of Homeland Security does not direct flights to the 11 airports, but “directs passengers. ” If a passenger who had traveled through China was headed to an airport outside of the 11 designated airports, he or she would be asked to proceed to one of those 11 airports for processing.
Since Honolulu doesn’t get those kinds of flights or direct flights from China, “that’s why sometimes we’re less likely to have those passengers, or at least those passengers who don’t have a connection to Hawaii,” Sakahara said.
Viruses and ships
Meanwhile, at ports, the Department of Transportation is following the lead of the U. S. Coast Guard. The U. S. Customs and Border Protection Act, which allows any passenger cruise ship that has traveled to mainland China in the past 14 days to dock at a Hawaiian port. However, in any case, it’s not normal for passenger cruises from China to arrive in Hawaii, Sakahara said.
As with any shipment arriving in Hawaii from China in the last 14 days, all team members will be required to remain on board until the end of the 14-day period, if they do not show any symptoms. If they have, they will be required to inform the authorities. Again, time and distance play a role in reducing the threat to Hawaii.
“Typically, shipping ships like this take anywhere from 14 days to a month to get from China to Honolulu,” Sakahara said. “So, actually, that 14-day era would take place anyway as long as they were overseas. “
Like the Department of Transportation, all three hospitals in Maui’s health system are following the CDC’s lead.
Maui Memorial Prepared
If there is a proven case in Maui, “appropriate medical care will be provided to any and all patients who come in,” Maui Health System spokeswoman Lisa Paulson said Thursday. “If an excess of suspected or actual COVID-19 patients is provided to the Hawaii Department of Health’s MHS, internal protocols, and pandemic response plan, it would be initiated. “
Paulson said that while there is no express remedy for the virus, any medical care for a proven case would focus on controlling symptoms.
“While COVID-19 is a newly known pathogen that affects many people, now is the time to panic,” said Dr. Lee Weiss, medical director and president of the emergency branch at Maui Memorial Medical Center. “Here at Maui Memorial Medical Center, we have comprehensive plans in place and are very vigilant about our screening and patient care. “
State officials at a news conference on Monday said the number of people under self-control or quarantine would vary and that more people who had traveled through China would continue to arrive. However, they said the small number of travelers affected is “a smart move. “test” for Hawaii to make sure the quarantine formula is working, and an opportunity to remind others to practice smart infection prevention: wash their hands, cover up to protect themselves from coughing, and stay home when they’re sick.
“If we don’t start doing that until we’re aware of our first community-transmitted case, then we’re already on the curve,” Park said.
For more information, cdc. gov/coronavirus/index. html.
*Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews . com. You can reach Lee Imada at leeimada@maui news. com.
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STOP THE SPREAD OF GERMS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented this advice:
• Avoid close contact with others who are sick.
• Cover your mouth or sneeze with a tissue and then dispose of it in the trash.
• Avoid touching your eyes and mouth.
• Clean and disinfect touched items and surfaces.
• Stay home when you are sick to get medical attention.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Source: www. cdc. gov/nCoV
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