PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (March 25, 2020) – Fears over the coronavirus outbreak, or COVID-19, have grown exponentially over the past few weeks. The latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there are 54,453 cases of coronavirus in the U.S. and 737 people who have died from the illness. But so far, no cases have been reported in Waller County, where Prairie View A&M University is located.
Dennis Daniels, M.P.H., D.P.H., professor, and director of the Texas Undergraduate Medical Academy at PVAMU, is an epidemiologist. He says despite these statistics and closures, people should not be afraid.
“There should be a level of concern present, but not panic,” he said. “It appears that practices used in response to the common cold or influenza are useful in addressing this public health concern. These practices may include staying home if sick, covering your coughs and sneezes, cleaning your hands often, avoiding sharing personal household items, cleaning all ‘high touch’ surfaces every day, and monitoring your symptoms if you develop any.”
Daniels says early information out of China, where the first cases of COVID-19 appeared at the end of 2019, shows some people are at a higher risk of becoming very ill from the virus.
“This group includes older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease,” said Daniels, who previously worked in Georgia as senior deputy director and interim director of the Department of Health and Wellness for Fulton County. He provided executive leadership for Personal, Population and Clinical Services, which included 27 medical clinics, six dental clinics, and six mobile unit clinics.
So, how did the coronavirus become so widespread? It has been detected in countries worldwide.
“According to the CDC, many of the early patients in Wunan, Hubei Province, China, had some link to a large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. Later, a growing number of patients reportedly did not have exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread. Person-to-person spread was subsequently reported outside Hubei and in countries outside China, including the United States,” said Daniels.
Daniels says the coronavirus outbreak can be compared to his previous experience in dealing with the West Nile virus (WNV) in the late 1990s to early 2000s. Infected mosquitoes spread the WNV.
“The manner of how the disease was spread was different, but public concern was also significant,” he said. “The need to maintain communication with city, county, state and federal health authorities was key in an effective response to the West Nile virus.”
And the same can be said about the coronavirus, especially with there currently being no preventative vaccine.
Dennis Daniels, M.P.H., D.P.H.
“Vaccines are not overnight happenings. The production of a vaccine often includes evidence of efficacy, effectiveness, and efficiency utilizing animal models and human study populations,” said Daniels. “The best thing to do now is to adhere to the directions articulated by public health officials and the medical community. It is valuable to remember that 80-percent of COVID-19 cases have been determined to be mild, and more than half of coronavirus patients globally have recovered.”
Visit Prairie View A&M’s coronavirus page for regular updates.
###
By Marchita Shilo