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As you prepare to stay home more, to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), you may have noticed shortages at the grocery stores. People are stocking up on food, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, gloves and, for some reason, toilet paper. Grocers say these shortages are mainly due to consumer overstocking, not a disrupted supply chain. The problem with overstocking is that while we may get more than enough things for our own family, we aren’t leaving necessary supplies for others, including first responders, health care workers, and our most vulnerable neighbors. 

On March 16, state and federal government officials took strong steps to try to protect the public’s health and slow down the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Governor Inslee announced an emergency proclamation that requires the immediate two-week closure of all restaurants, bars, and entertainment and recreational facilities in Washington, as well as additional limits on large gatherings. The order will be in place through March 31 and could be extended longer. President Trump also issued recommendations for Americans, titled ”15 Days to Slow the Spread.” The guidance strongly encourages social distancing, including avoiding social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people. This is good advice, from the highest level, for people who are still considering gatherings or meeting with others.

As more and more communities are impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), all of us should consider creating a household plan to help protect our individual and family’s health. State and local health officials are working together to identify, evaluate, and monitor potential and confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Washington. Locally, Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) is meeting regularly with local leaders and government officials to take measures to protect the public’s health. Individuals also can play a role in this effort by creating and implementing their own household plan using the following checklists:

In each issue of the Epigram, we are pleased to introduce you to a member of the Disease Prevention and Response team at SRHD. In this issue we feature Epidemiologist, Malia Nogle, MPH. Malia works in the Communicable Disease Epidemiology program where she focuses on notifiable condition investigation, influenza surveillance, special pathogen emergency preparedness and response, community education, and more recently, served as the Epidemiology staff lead working with Spokane County Jail and Geiger Corrections to provide hepatitis A vaccine. Malia has been with SRHD since 2014 and previously worked in the Food Safety program.

You are seeing a 6-month old boy in your primary care practice. He is completely unimmunized, and parents are staunchly against DTaP. There is currently a pertussis epidemic with 150 cases in your state and more than 2,000 cases nationally. After explaining the risk and consequences of getting pertussis and encouraging immunization, the parents still refuse. What would you do?