Agencies gearing up to counter outbreak

Nursing home residents especially vulnerable to virus

It wasn't surprising that when asked about preparations for dealing with coronavirus, a nun who works at a local nursing home affiliated with the Catholic church said, "We're praying."

Because Sister Joachim is the administrator at Garvey Manor & Our Lady of the Alleghenies Residence, it also was no surprise that her preparations include a healthy share of practical precautions.

Given the vulnerability of older people to the virus, which has spread around the world -- though without a confirmed case yet in Pennsylvania -- organizations that run nursing homes have more to worry about from a potential pandemic.

Also working to fend off an outbreak are agencies responsible for education, emergency management, ambulance service, firefighting, police work and prisoner transport.

Garvey Manor's approach focuses on "education and vigilance," Joachim said.

The education for staff, visitors and residents includes "ramping up" infection control practices already in place.

Those include frequent handwashing, staying away when sick and using a mask if staying away is not possible.

The vigilance includes watching for symptoms of sickness in staff, visitors and residents, while paying special attention to the most vulnerable residents.

"At the earliest signs, take action," Joachim said. "It's a culture you have to breed."

It's not uncommon for staffers who are sneezing or coughing to don masks on their own, so they don't spread germs, she said.

Garvey Manor doesn't screen visitors, but it posts signs at the entrance listing symptoms of cold and flu and urging visitors exhibiting them not to enter -- or if they must come in -- to put on masks, wash their hands and minimize the number of residents with whom they have contact.

Staff is also expected to speak up when they see a visitor with obvious signs of sickness.

The home has been following guidance on the corona­virus from the state Department of Health and LeadingAge, a philanthropic association, both of which relay information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Joachim said.

The home has also reviewed and updated a pandemic plan developed several years ago in response to the SARS virus.

While the home can isolate residents who contract contagious illness, it lacks the resources of hospitals, including special ventilation capabilities, so if a resident becomes sick with coronavirus, he or she would likely be sent to a hospital, Joachim said.

Barring entry to the infection is the obvious strategy for Garvey Manor.

Self-quarantine urged

Penn State University doesn't necessarily have that luxury, given the potential for students returning from abroad to be harboring the disease.

On Saturday, based on CDC guidelines, the university told those who'd recently returned from China, Iran, Italy or South Korea to quarantine themselves in their dwellings for 14 days, while monitoring for symptoms of coronavirus, according to a university webpage cited by a Penn State Altoona spokesman.

It also told members of the community returning from a Level 2 country -- currently, Japan -- to maintain vigilant hygiene practices, monitor for symptoms and take their temperature twice a day for 14 days.

The university told those who felt sick after returning from a country where there has been an outbreak to seek medical advice, calling ahead before going to a doctor's office or emergency room.

On Tuesday, the university canceled all spring-break travel abroad "for embedded courses and student organizations."

The university will work with affected students to reimburse them for "costs incurred, including canceled airfares and program fees," according to the website.

University officials are working to make residence hall rooms available to those without alternative housing during the break.

Stay home if ill

The Altoona Area School District is advising families to keep students home if they're sick and to not to send them back to class until they're free from fever for at least 24 hours, said district spokeswoman Paula Foreman.

It's doing so through a letter being sent out today that also advises the families to practice "regular good habits" -- frequent washing of hands and coughing and sneezing into the hollow of elbows, Foreman said.

District personnel have been practicing "maintenance and safety protocols" since October that include disinfection of surfaces with sanitizing wipes, Foreman said.

Those protocols were introduced to reduce the threat of the flu, she said.

In response to the corona­virus threat, the Blair County Department of Public Safety has tweaked its procedures for 911 dispatchers, so that if a caller has flulike symptoms, including shortness of breath, dispatchers follow up by asking whether the caller has recently returned from a foreign country or been in contact with someone who has, said department Director Mark Taylor.

The county agency is also reviewing its regional plan and has contacted hospitals to discuss their plans for coronavirus, he said.

It will also be meeting with school administrators this week to discuss the situation, Taylor said.

"We're not wanting to create panic," he said. "(But) our job is to be prepared."

Limiting exposure

AMED has also tweaked its procedures, such that if called to respond to someone suspected of coronavirus infection, it will try to limit the number of staffers coming into contact with the patient, according to AMED Executive Director Gary Watters.

One way of doing that is avoiding another agency's quick-response, if that can be done safely, he said.

AMED has answered a call to one patient in which special precautions were used in the last two weeks, Watters said.

Otherwise, AMED is following normal procedures, which include routine handwashing and disinfection of surfaces, especially surfaces touched by many people, like light switches and door handles, Watters said.

The organization is treating the coronavirus threat much like it would the threat of any virus, Watters said.

His main concern is its potential to sicken his employees, which could leave him short-handed, he said.

The coronavirus threat hasn't really changed the way firefighters handle their first-responder calls, as they're rarely called to help the kind of patients with coronavirus symptoms, according to Jeff Blake, Logan Township's emergency management coordinator.

The existing anti-infection procedures, like washing hands, and equipment, including gloves, masks and gowns, are protective against coronavirus, anyway, he indicated.

"For us, it's really business as usual," Blake said. "We're not in alarm mode."

Special equipment available

Logan Township police, if called to interact with someone who has coronavirus symptoms, can make use of equipment obtained this year to protect officers from biohazards, said Chief Dave Reese.

It includes masks, Tyvek suits, gloves and disinfectant, Reese said.

The department can also take advantage of an arrangement with the Blair County Prison, which decontaminates cars after they're used to transport someone suspected of carrying a communicable disease.

As with the other agencies, the Blair County Sheriff's Department is largely relying on its standard precautions in dealing with the coronavirus threat, according to Sheriff Jim Ott.

That includes handwashing and use of sanitary wipes and sanitizing solution.

More specific to the corona­virus threat, it now also includes keeping one's distance from others in meetings, Ott said.

Should a deputy need to transport a prisoner suspected of being infected with coronavirus, there are face masks, he said.

"And we always use gloves," Ott said.

Still, the threat is real.

"There's always a degree of concern," Ott said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.