Dear Colleagues,
As you may know, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning today of the likelihood that the coronavirus (COVID-19) will spread in the United States, given the number of new confirmed cases that have originated in countries outside of China, where the outbreak began.
While there still are no cases of coronavirus in San Francisco residents, Mayor London Breed today declared a state of emergency as a proactive measure to strengthen the city’s preparedness to respond to COVID-19.
We want you to know that we have been working closely with our public health counterparts across the city and state, as well as with the CDC, since the coronavirus outbreak began in December 2019.
The health and safety of our UCSF community, and our patients and visitors, is among our most important priorities. We remain focused on three primary goals:
- providing compassionate and safe care for patients with COVID-19,
- providing support and training to keep our health care workers and other employees safe while caring for these patients, and
- communicating regularly with and offering guidance to the UCSF community during this fluid situation.
There is no...
Dear Colleagues:
We are writing to update you on the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and how UCSF Health is prepared to safely care for patients with infectious diseases, as well as actions you can take to help control respiratory infections.
As of this morning, two patients with confirmed 2019-nCoV were transferred to the UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights from another California county. Taking care of patients with complex illnesses, including infectious diseases, is our expertise and part of our commitment to caring for our community. UCSF Health teams are trained and equipped to effectively care for these patients. In addition to our standard infectious disease protocols, we are instituting a number of additional measures to screen patients with potential 2019-nCoV, as well as prevent spread of 2019-nCoV.
UCSF Health and our campus have been preparing for possible patients with 2019-nCoV for weeks. Actions include:
- asking patients about recent travel and possible symptoms. Patients suspected of having 2019-nCoV will be asked to put on a surgical mask and isolated as quickly as possible.
- asking patients who have traveled to China in the last 14 days to monitor themselves for fever and cough and to wear a mask when they arrive at UCSF Health.
- asking patients with non-urgent health issues to consider rescheduling until more than 14 days after their return from China to the U.S.
- instituting travel guidance for faculty, staff, and learners returning from or traveling to China.
- working closely with officials at the San Francisco, Alameda County, and...