SPECIAL EDITION: NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)
A Message from Your Chapter Leadership
Your CSEA Chapter 262 has been closely monitoring news and information regarding COVID-19 and are working closely with college administration to ensure classified professionals are informed and prepared to respond.
While Mt. SAC is currently at LEVEL 2 response, which is increased vigilance and reducing social contact, there are currently still no known cases of infection or exposure at Mt. SAC. President Scroggins issued a statement this morning (follow this link to read it) informing the campus community that classes will be suspended next week on March 18 and 19 to provide faculty with in-service training so they prepare their curriculum for online delivery. Not all classes with move online, but there will be some.
Many colleges and universities in California have already either moved online or are preparing to do so. USC has moved to all online instruction. UCLA is not but has a plan to do so. Cal Poly Pomona and Citrus college are also suspending all classes for two days for faculty training and preparation to move to online classes as Mt. SAC is now doing.
The college’s response plans may call for actions that will affect your working conditions. Chapter 262 leaders are preparing to meet with the college administration to discuss the impacts of these plans on your working conditions. To accomplish this, we need your feedback about the potential impacts to you should the college’s plans need to be implemented. Your CSEA leadership has created a survey asking you for your feedback. The survey is linked to your individual e-mail address on record, so some of you will receive the link through Mt. SAC mail and some of you will receive the link via your personal e-mail address. You are strongly encouraged to complete the survey as soon as you get it so your Chapter leaders have data we can use during discussions with the college President. If you do not receive the e-mail message with the survey link (coming out later today), please contact any Chapter leader.
Your CSEA Chapter 262 leadership’s intent is to keep you whole and healthy until the crisis has passed and we can all go back to business as usual. As more information becomes available, you will be notified as soon as possible. Please keep checking your e-mail at least hourly (yes, things are happening quickly) as well as your private e-mail. Check the Mt. SAC Health web page for current information and announcements (follow the link here).
How COVID-19 Spreads
To better understand how to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, understanding how it is spread is helpful. The Center for Disease Control has created a web page that helps explain how the virus is spread and ways to prevent the spread (link here to the web site).
COVID-19 is a new disease and the medical scientists are still learning how it spreads, the severity of illness it causes, and to what extent it may spread in the United States. Two known ways the virus spreads is through contact with infected people and contact with objects that are infected. The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person. People who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) can inhale respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
How easily a virus spreads from person-to-person can vary. Some viruses are highly contagious (spread easily), like measles, while other viruses do not spread as easily. Another factor is whether the spread is sustained, spreading continually without stopping. The virus that causes COVID-19 seems to be spreading easily and sustainably in the community (“community spread”) in some affected geographic areas. Community spread means people have been infected with the virus in an area, including some who are not sure how or where they became infected.
The California Department of Public Health has information about verified cases of infection, which is updated daily (follow this link to the CDPH web page). A map showing infections by county is available by following this link. And the CDC has issued guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19 in homes and residential communities (follow this link to that web page). Much of this is common sense, like stay home if you are sick and only go to a hospital if your symptoms are severe. Many of these precautions are valid as every-day practices (like disinfecting often-touched surfaces, like doorknobs and countertops).
Surgical masks are not effective preventative measures by themselves. If you would like more information about the proper use of surgical masks, the World Health Organization has a web page explaining the proper use of surgical masks on its web site. The number of makeshift or alternative masks that have been seen because of the shortage of real surgical masks is both scary and amusing at the same time. Everything from bras to hollowed-out lemons to plastic water bottles have been seen on people’s heads (don’t believe? Click here for a look at some stupid coronavirus masks). Yes, these are real people using real makeshift masks.
This just emphasizes how important distinguishing fact from fiction is. While humorous, ineffective preventative measures put yourself and others at risk. Just . . . don’t do it.
“Like it or not, we live in interesting times. They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also the most creative … in the history of mankind.
Robert F. Kennedy
Coronavirus Concerns Need Cautious Consideration
Disclaimer: this article is intended for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or a substitute for medical care. Please consult with your family doctor or other medical professionals for advice or treatment for any medical conditions or to answer any medical questions.
Since the coronavirus made headlines a few months ago, people are confused and scared, and the ratio of fact from fiction (or misinformation) is rather high. Let’s start with some facts.
Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses, including the common cold, that are common among animals and humans. Most of these strains are known or familiar. According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), in the case of the novel coronavirus in the news these days (COVID-19), this strain is a newly discovered coronavirus that has not been previously detected. The source of this virus is not yet known.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 13 March, there are 136,895 cases and 5,077 deaths in 123 countries worldwide (link here to the WHO situation board). This is less than .00002 percent of the world’s population (roughly). In the United States, there are 1,264 cases and 36 deaths. That is .000004 percent of the United States population (roughly). While the percentages of infection are low, a community-spread virus can easily be transmitted if people do not take appropriate precautions and follow WHO and CDC guidelines.
To help dispel rumors and distinguish fact from fiction, the WHO has created a “Myth Buster” web page with facts about COVID-19. Because people are not informed well and sometimes allow fear to overcome sense, you may hear about “home remedies” that, frankly, make no sense. For example, on the WHO myth buster page, one question is “Can eating garlic help prevent infection with the new coronavirus?” While garlic may keep away vampires — and friends and family and your dog — it has no effect on viruses.
There are things you can do to protect yourself from exposure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site has useful information about prevention, how to detect symptoms, treatment, and what to do in case you are or think you are exposed. Common sense should also play a part. If you are sick, stay home. Coming to work while sick is not healthy for you, and it also exposes others (especially with viruses like the cold).
Be concerned, be aware, and be careful, but, most importantly, be calm. As more information about COVID-19 becomes available, state, federal, and global agencies are updating the information on their web pages daily or even hourly (follow the links above). We have no cases reported here at Mt. SAC, and while students and Mt. SAC faculty and staff are understandably concerned, be assured your Chapter leadership remains vigilant on your behalf.
Your CSEA Chapter 262 Executive Board:
Robert Stubbe, President • Rosa Asencio, 1st Vice President • Marlene Espina, 2nd Vice President Barbara Carrillo, Secretary • Zak Gallegos, Treasurer
Elizabeth Jauregui, Chief Union Steward • Mark Fernandez, Communications Officer
Brandon Gillett, Site Rep Coordinator • Sandra Bollier, Past President
“To improve the lives of our members, students, and community.”
CSEA Chapter 262 • 1100 N. Grand Avenue Walnut, California 91789 • 909.274.6262 • www.csea262.org