FIRST CASE.
TOM: DR. BENJAMIN CHAN, THE STATE VICTIM YALA JUST MIGHT JOINS US WITH MORE -- THE STATES EPIDEMIOLOGIST, POINTS US WITH MORE.
DR. CHAN: YESTERDAY WE ANNOUNCED OUR FIRST PRESUMPTIVE POSITIVE INFECTION OF COVID-19.
THAT INITIATED INVESTIGATION TO IDENTIFY PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE HAD CLOSE, DIRECT CONTACT WITH THIS INDIVIDUAL WITH THE INFECTION YESTERDAY.
THAT HAS LED TO IDENTIFICATION OF AN ADDITIONAL INDIVIDUAL WHO DEVELOPED SYMPTOMS, AN ADULT MALE FROM GRAFTON COUNTY, WHO WE TESTED TODAY.
THE TEST CAME BACK POSITIVE.
THIS IS NOT A SURPRISE.
THIS IS WHY WE CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEALTH INVESTIGATION, TO IDENTIFY PEOPLE WHO MAY BEEN IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WITH COVID-19, SO WE CAN IDENTIFY WHO MIGHT BE SUSCEPTIBLE AND GET
THEM INTO TESTING QUICKLY.
JEAN: AND THAT PERSON CAN QUARANTINE AT HOME?
DR. CHAN: ANYONE WHO IS SYMPTOMATICALLY AND BEING TESTED, WE ASK THEM TO ISOLATE AT HOME.
OUT OF THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE ISOLATED AT HOME AND NOT REQUIRING HOSPITALIZATION AT THE CURRENT TIME.
TOM: WE HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS WE’D LIKE TO ASK YOU COULD -- ASK YOU.
ASHLEY CLAIRE ASKS, WHAT IS THE CHANCE THAT WE WILL BE UNDER LOCKDOWN HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE LIKE THEY HAVE DONE IN OTHER COUNTRIES?
HOW WOULD WE ACCESS WORK, SCHOOL, FOOD AND SUPPLIES?
THAT IS A BIGGIE.
DR. CHAN: IT IS A BIG QUESTION.
WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SEEN IN OTHER COUNTRIES, SPECIFICALLY CHINA AND WUHAN CITY WHERE IT ORIGINATED, IT’S RAISED QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS AND OUR COMMUNITIES.
WE ARE UNLIKELY TO EVER SEE A LOCKDOWN SIMILAR TO WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IN CHINA.
THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE DON’T HAVE DIFFERENT TOOLS AT OUR DISPOSAL TO CONTROL THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS IF AND WHEN IT BECOMES MORE WIDESPREAD IN THE U.S. AND NEW HAMPSHIRE.
THAT CAN INCLUDE MORE EXTENSIVE MEASURES LIKE CANCELING SCHOOL OR EARLY DISMISSALS, OR CANCELING MASS GATHERINGS.
THESE ARE COMMUNITY-BASED INTERVENTIONS WE HAVE TWO TRY AND SLOW THE SPREAD AND REDUCE THE IMPACT OF A PANDEMIC VIRUS IF IT BECOMES A LARGER PANDEMIC.
BUT WE ARE FAR AWAY I THINK FROM THAT POINT.
WE HAVE TWO CASES IDENTIFIED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, ONE WITH DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE OTHER ONE.
THE FIRST CASE WAS DUE TO TRAVEL FROM A HIGHLY IMPACTED COUNTRY.
JEAN: ITALY SPECIFICALLY.
JASON FOREST ASKS, I WORK FOR A DELIVERY COMPANY THAT DOES A LOT OF BUSINESS WITH CHINA.
IF SOMEONE HAS IT IN CHINA AND THEY TOUCH SOMETHING THAT IS SHIPPED OVERSEAS, COULD I GET IT?
DR. CHAN: THIS GOES BACK TO THE QUESTION OF HOW THE VIRUS, HOW IS THE INFECTION PRIMARILY SPREAD?
THIS IS A VIRUS SPREAD SIMILARLY TO THE FLU.
PRIMARILY THROUGH GROUP -- DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE RESPIRATORY DROPLETS OF SOMEONE INFECTED.
IT REQUIRES CLOSE CONTACT WITH AN INFECTED INDIVIDUAL.
THERE HAVE BEEN CONCERNS ABOUT HOW EASILY IT CAN BE TRANSMITTED ON SERVICES, SO IF SOMEONE CALLS INTO THEIR HAND AND TOUCH AS A DOOR HANDLE AND SOMEONE COMES IN AFTERWARD AND TOUCHES THE HANDLE
AND THEN TOUCHES THEIR I, THERE IS A CONCERN.
BUT MANY OF THESE VIRUSES DON’T SURVIVE FOR LONG TIME ON SERVICES.
THEY ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DRYING OUT.
SHIPPING PACKAGES AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS, IT IS GENERALLY NOT A CONCERN.
TOM: WE HAVE OUR LIVE FACEBOOK AUDIENCE, AND A QUESTION JUST CAME IN ASKING HOW LONG DOES THE VIRUS LAST ON A PERSON?
DR. CHAN: HOW LONG IS A PERSON INFECTED?
THAT IS ACTUALLY STILL AN AREA UNDER INVESTIGATION.
WHAT IS BEING CONDUCTED, WHAT IS HAPPENING ANY TIME SOMEONE IS DIAGNOSED, IN ORDER TO CLEAR THEM AND LET THEM INTO THE COMMUNITY REQUIRES MULTIPLE SERIAL SAMPLES AND SWAPS OF THE
RESPIRATORY PASSAGES.
IT TAKES TWO NEGATIVE SAMPLES TO CALL THEM CLEARED OF THE INFECTION.
THAT IS PART OF THE CDC PROTOCOL.
WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION ON HOW LONG IT CAN TAKE, BUT IT IS ONE OR TWO WEEKS WE HAVE FROM THE PRELIMINARY INFORMATION.
TOM: THANK Y