For Funeral Directors NFDA has consulted with federal officials and embalming experts. At this time, they recommend that should an individual die from 2019-nCoV, funeral home personnel who will come into contact with the body should use universal precautions.
Treatment There is no vaccine for human coronaviruses, and most people will recover on their own. A room humidifier or hot shower can relieve a sore throat and cough, the CDC says. Mildly sick patients should drink liquids and rest as must as possible.
Summary of the CDC Response • CDC is closely monitoring this situation and is working with World Health Organization. • CDC established a 2019-nCoV Incident Management Structure on January 7, 2020. On January 21, 2020, CDC activated its • Emergency Response System to better provide ongoing support to the 2019-nCoV response. • On January 21, 2020, CDC again updated its interim travel health notice for this destination to provide information to people who may be traveling to Wuhan City and who may get sick. The travel notice was raised from Level 1; Practice Usual Precautions, to a Level 2: Practice Enhanced Precautions advising travelers that preliminary information suggests that older adults with underlying health conditions may be at increased risk for severe disease. • CDC began entry screening of passengers on direct and connecting flights from Wuhan, China, to the three main ports of entry in the United States on January 17, 2020, and will to expand that screening in the coming days. CDC, working with the Department of Homeland Security, also will funnel all travelers from Wuhan, China to the five airports conducting entry health screening. Together, the five airports will cover all travelers arriving in the United States whose travel originated from Wuhan, China. • CDC issued an updated interim Health Alert Notice Advisory to inform state and local health departments and health care providers about this outbreak on January 17, 2020. • A CDC team has deployed a team to support the ongoing investigation in the state of Washington in response to the first reported case of 2019-nCoV in the United States, including potentially tracing close contacts to determine if anyone else has become ill. • CDC has developed a real time Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR) test that can diagnose 2019-nCoV. Currently, testing for this virus must take place at CDC, but in the coming days and weeks, CDC will share these tests with domestic and international partners through the agency’s International Reagent Resource.
Minnesota Department of Health Seeks Your Input The Minnesota Department of Health’s Injury and Violence Prevention Section (IVPS) supports programs that help reduce the risk of injury and violence. Through our drug overdose prevention work, we have learned that Funeral Directors are often one of the first points of contact with grieving loved ones after a drug overdose death. With this brief survey we hope to learn more about how you address this topic with the families you serve, and we want to work with you to address any needs that may be identified. We ask that you take a few minutes to complete the short survey at: www.bit.ly/MNDOHsurvey The feelings associated with the loss of a loved one to drug overdose are complex. They can create the need for unique services and support. We want to understand how you care sfor the loved ones of those who have lost someone to a drug overdose so that we may assist in designing and developing materials that may be helpful in addressing your needs as a professional. The Minnesota Department of Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Section, asks that you complete the following survey to us help understand and support your work in easing the burden of grief felt by those coping with loss of a loved one to drug overdose. Your participation is voluntary and greatly appreciated. The survey should take 5 to 10 minutes, your responses are anonymous, and responses will only be analyzed as a large group. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Sam Robertson at sam. robertson@state.mn.us or 651-201-5483.
Visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus for more information.
www.mnfuneral.org 11
