From ICEP’s President: COVID-19 – The 2020 Emerging Global Pandemic
From ICEP President Dr. Ernest Wang:
On February 29, 2020, the Illinois Department of Health announced that another Illinois resident has tested positive for coronavirus. The positive test results will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab. The patient is hospitalized in isolation and CDC protocols have been implemented. This is the third case identified in the state of Illinois.(1)
It is no understatement that the evolving COVID-19 outbreak has captured the attention of the world as the number one medical story of 2020. With the first two documented cases in the U.S. surfacing in Illinois, and the first case of human-to-human spread, our state quickly became the center of national scrutiny. Fortunately, both patients have recovered and released from home isolation(2) and no healthcare workers contracted the virus.(3)
As of March 1, 2020, the disease has affected at least 87,137 people affected with the majority (79,968) of cases still centered in Hubei province in mainland China. Over 7,100 individuals in over 50 countries have also contracted the disease, with the largest outbreaks in South Korea, Italy, Iran, Japan, and aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess.(4)
ICEP is working to keep the emergency medicine community of Illinois informed about COVID-19 as new information about the epidemic emerges. ICEP represents more than 1400 physicians who practice emergency medicine in our state, including most EMS medical directors.
ICEP has been in contact with and stands ready to assist IDPH in preparing our members to handle the arrival of patients in our EDs.