PRESS RELEASE 1/24/2020
Novel Coronavirus (2019 nCOV)

The purpose of this Press Release is to provide updated information to the Guam community from the CDC-Centers for Disease Control on the 2019 novel coronavirus that was first identified in Wuhan, China.

This is a rapidly evolving situation because information is changing so quickly.

A great resource for up to date and reliable information is directly from the CDC-Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov) and the WHO-World Health Organization (www.who.int).

As the GovGuam DPHSS prepares, our community can also take action to prevent respiratory infections at home.

People should practice the same things that would prevent influenza or any other respiratory illness:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water.
• Avoid touching your mouth, eyes and nose with unwashed hands.
• Avoid other people who are sick.
• Practice cough etiquette (cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve not your hands. Then throw the tissue in the trash).
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Stay home from school or work if you feel sick. 
• If you haven't yet, get your flu shot. It won't protect you from 2019 nCOV, but will protect you from another common respiratory illness.

What GovGuam is doing:

• Closely monitoring the situation along with colleagues from the CDC.
• Issuing health alerts to all healthcare providers to increase awareness to detect possible case on Guam.
• Established specimen shipping protocols to the CDC to maximize the speed that test results are returned on suspected cases.
• Reviewing the existing protocols for respiratory illness outbreaks.

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