Eagle Pass Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes Hosts Coronavirus Meeting with Local, State and Federal Agencies
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2020
City of Eagle Pass, Texas Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes hosted a meeting of local, state, and federal agencies at City Hall, 100 S. Monroe Street, on Thursday, February 27, 2020 to discuss and coordinate the community’s preparation and protection against a possible outbreak of Coronavirus sweeping the world.
Among the agencies attending the salient community meeting were the Maverick County Hospital District, Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center, Maverick County, City of Eagle Pass, Eagle Pass Independent School District, United States Department of Homeland Security-Border Patrol, and the Eagle Pass Fire Department.
Mayor Sifuentes requested the community-wide meeting to learn about each of the local, state, and federal agencies proposed preparedness level and response plans in light of the current public healthcare emergency concerning the Coronavirus afflicting over 30 countries across the world as well as to coordinate our community’s preparedness against this potentially fatal respiratory disease.
All the agencies agreed that they are relying on the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) for guidance on how to detect, respond, and treat the respiratory disease. CDC stated that it and its health and scientific researchers are responding to an outbreak of a respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) Coronavirus that was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China and which has now been detected in over 50 locations internationally, including the United States.
According to CDC, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including bats, camels, cattle, and cats. “The sequences from U.S. patients are similar to the one that China initially posted, suggesting a likely single, recent emergence of this virus from an animal reservoir.” The Coronavirus disease 2019, known as COVID-19, is now spreading from person to person. “Chinese officials report that sustained person to person spread is occurring in China, In addition, other destinations have apparent community spread, meaning some people have been infected who are not sure how or where they became infected.”
According to the CDC, confirmed Coronavirus 2019 cases are reporting symptoms including fever, cough, and shortness of breath. CDC “believes at this time that symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure. This is based on what has been seen previously as the incubation period of MERS-CoV viruses.” Patients with COVID-19 have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness.
CDC reports that there is currently no vaccine to prevent Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The best way to present illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. CDC advises to avoid close contact with people who are sick, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, stay home when you are sick, cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash, clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe, wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, coughing or sneezing, and only people with symptoms of COVID-19 should wear face masks and health workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings.
Most importantly, any person experiencing the symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath should go immediately to visit their primary healthcare provider/physician to be examined or tested. Do not wait to go see your primary healthcare provider if you have these symptoms.
Persons who are sick with COVID-19 or suspect you are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 are requested to take the following steps to help prevent the disease from spreading to people in your home and community: stay at home except to get medical care, separate yourself from other people and animals in your home, call ahead before visiting your doctor, wear a face mask, cover your coughs and sneezes, clean your hands often, avoid sharing personal household items, clean all high touch surfaces everyday, monitor symptoms, and stay in contact with your primary healthcare provider. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 should remain under home isolation precautions until the risk of secondary transmission to others is decided by your healthcare providers and state and local health departments.
For more information about Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), please go to the CDC website at: www.cdc.gov.
Mayor Sifuentes and representatives of all local, state, and federal agencies agreed to remain in close contact with other and hold other meetings in the future to continue coordination of the Coronavirus 2019 potential threat to our community.
Attending the February 27th meeting included Alma Martinez and Eric Rodriguez of the Maverick County Hospital District, Eladio Montalvo and Rosa Flores of Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center, Samuel Mijares of the Eagle Pass Independent School District, Roberto Ruiz of Maverick County Commissioners Court, Manuel Mello of the Eagle Pass Fire Department, representatives of the U.S. Border Patrol, George Antuna, Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes, and Councilman Rolando Salinas of the City of Eagle Pass, and others.
