Daily Coronavirus Update - March 18, 2020

Information is changing quickly. I will do my best to keep you updated on how to get tested for the coronavirus, starting with a growing list of testing locations for pre-screened patients that will be included with each daily update as well as on my website.  If you or a loved one are experiencing difficulty getting tested, please contact me at common_sense@manchin.senate.gov or leave a voicemail at 304-342-5855 and a member of my staff will get back to you as soon as possible.

manchin.senate.gov/coronavirus

PRE-SCREENING

To report your symptoms and be directed to one of the available testing sites, contact your primary care doctor or a designated hotline for your area.

 

TESTING LOCATIONS

This is the main question my office is receiving. I will keep this section of my newsletter as up-to-date as possible.

WVU Medicine announced that it is establishing five drive-through collection points in West Virginia to collect specimens from pre-screened patients to test for COVID-19.

The sites are in Morgantown, Parkersburg, Bridgeport, Wheeling, and Martinsburg. All sites are operating Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Locations will be updated daily.

Morgantown

To get pre-screened, contact your primary care physician or call WVU Medicine COVID-19 Triage Line - 304-598-6000, option 4.

The Morgantown drive-through testing site is taking place at the University Town Center.

Parkersburg

To get pre-screened, contact your primary care physician or call WVU Medicine COVID-19 Triage Line - 304-598-6000, option 4.

The Parkersburg testing will take place outside of the Camden Clark South Tower.

Wheeling

To get pre-screened, contact your primary care physician or call Wheeling Hospital COVID-19 Line: 304-221-3995

Wheeling Hospital established drive-through testing on Wednesday, March 18 at 10 a.m. in the Wheeling Park parking lot.

RESOURCES

1. FOR ALL WEST VIRGINIANS:
manchin.senate.gov/coronavirus

2. FOR VETERANS:
Any Veteran with symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath should immediately contact their local VA facility. VA urges Veterans to call before visiting – you can find contact information for your closest VA facility.

Alternatively, Veterans can sign into MyHealtheVet to send a secure message to VA or use telehealth options to explain their condition and receive a prompt diagnosis.

Upon arriving at VA, all patients will be screened for flu-like symptoms before they enter in order to protect other patients and staff. A VA health care professional will assist you with next steps once this screening process is complete.

At this time, VA is urging all visitors who do not feel well to please postpone their visits to VA facilities.

More information for Veterans can be found here: https://www.publichealth.va.gov/n-coronavirus/

3. FOR PEOPLE WITH SERIOUS CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND THE ELDERLY: 

According to the CDC, early information out of China, where COVID-19 first started, shows that some people are at higher risk of getting very sick from this illness. This includes older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions like Heart disease, Diabetes, or Lung disease.

The CDC recommends the elderly and those at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 STAY HOME and away from other people.

More information for those at higher risk of serious illness can be found here:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/high-risk-complications.html

4. FOR TRAVELERS:
The CDC has made the following recommendations for travelers:

1. Older adults and people of any age with serious chronic medical conditions are at increased risk for severe disease and should consider postponing nonessential travel.
2. Travelers should avoid contact with sick people and wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
3. Travelers should monitor their health and limit interactions with others for 14 days after returning from travel.
4. Travelers that are sick with fever, cough, or have trouble breathing should stay home and call ahead before seeking medical care.


The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to reconsider travel abroad due to the global impact of COVID-19. Many areas throughout the world are now experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks and taking action that may limit traveler mobility, including quarantines and border restrictions. Even countries, jurisdictions, or areas where cases have not been reported may restrict travel without notice. More information on global health advisories from the Department of State can be found here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/travel-advisory-alert-global-level-3-health-advisory-issue.html

The CDC has issued travel health notices for countries with COVID-19 transmission. West Virginians should be aware of the CDC’s latest geographic risk assessment for COVID-19 transmission before traveling, and should avoid nonessential travel to areas under a travel health warning. Visit https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/ for the most up-to-date list of travel health notices.

CDC recommends all people defer all cruise ship travel worldwide, including river cruises, because of the increased risk of COVID-19 spread onboard ships.

5. FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS:
Front-line healthcare personnel in the United States should be prepared to evaluate patients for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The CDC has prepared a Healthcare Personnel Preparedness Checklist for COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/hcp-personnel-checklist.html

The FDA is providing a hotline (1-888-INFO-FDA) that is available 24 hours a day for labs to call regarding difficulties obtaining supplies for collecting patient samples for COVID-19 testing, including swabs, media needed for transport, and conservation of the samples. We also encourage labs to reach out at CDRH-EUA-Templates@fda.hhs.gov with any questions related to diagnostic development.

6. FOR BUSINESSES:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html

Small Business Administration Extends Economic Injury Disaster Loans to Small Businesses Impacted by Coronavirus: Impacted small businesses may complete the estimated disaster economic injury worksheet, attached here, and submit it to the Governor's Office at your earliest convenience to:

Attn: Ann Urling
Deputy Chief of Staff
Office of Governor Jim Justice
State Capitol
1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Charleston, WV 25305
Ann.V.Urling@wv.gov 
304-558-2000 (office)

7. FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS/GUARDIANS:

Governor Jim Justice has closed schools statewide through March 27. Parents and guardians should monitor local media of the West Virginia Department of Education's COVID-19 information page (https://wvde.us/covid19/) for updates.

The West Virginia Department of Education has developed a statewide list of feeding sites for students to receive a free meal during the school closure. More information can be found here: https://wvde.us/covid19/feeding-site-information/. Additional questions should be directed to your local county board of education.

MORE INFORMATION

1. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://dhhr.wv.gov/Coronavirus%20Disease-COVID-19/Pages/default.aspx

2. Food and Drug Administration: https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-issues/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

3. U.S. Department of State: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/covid-19-information.html

4. Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.publichealth.va.gov/n-coronavirus/

5. Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/02/coronavirus-scammers-follow-headlines

6. WV Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

7. WV Department of Education: https://wvde.us/covid19/

8. West Virginia University: https://coronavirus.wvu.edu

9. Marshall University: https://www.marshall.edu/coronavirus

10. Preventing COVID-19 Spread in Communities (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html

11. Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Map: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

 

CONTACT US

Email: common_sense@manchin.senate.gov  

Social Media: Facebook     Twitter     YouTube

Or call the Charleston Office Toll-Free: (855) 275-5737

UNSUBSCRIBE