MILWAUKEE — There are now 14 pending cases of coronavirus in Wisconsin. Milwaukee health officials are in the thick of informing people about ways to slow the spread of the new coronavirus and what authorities are doing in preparation.
Milwaukee's Public Safety and Health Committee held a special meeting Thursday morning to hear the Health Department's plans.
There are no confirmed coronavirus cases in Milwaukee.
"I do think it will arrive at some point in time," said Jeanette Kowalik, Milwaukee's Commissioner of Health. "Our goal is to make sure it doesn't become a community spread situation where we have to shut things down and really impact the quality of life."
Milwaukee's Health Department says they already have the framework in place to respond to a pandemic, and they will use it if needed.
Health officials are already involved in regular calls and webinars with organizations at the federal, state, and local levels. They are forming workgroups: one is a clinical team consisting of 30 different physicians to share best practices. Another is a Milwaukee County task force involving emergency management, first responders, and others.
At the same time, officials are tackling rumors.
"We received a number of inquiries from just individuals in the community as well as groups from partners other city departments who are like, 'what is this?' There's a lot of misinformation, so they're asking for the health department to provide credible information to various groups," said Kowalik.
There are steps health officials can take if needed, like canceling large gatherings, but at this point, it is not necessary.
The Health Department is calling on the community to do their part by practicing proper handwashing, coughing into your elbow, and staying home if you are sick.
Milwaukee is one of two coronavirus testing sites in Wisconsin. The other lab is in Madison.
Milwaukee's lab has not received any specimens to test for coronavirus.
"This test is intended to be used for presumptive qualitative detection. That means if we identify one of the cases that still has to go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation," Dr. Sanjib Bhattacharyya, Health Department's Laboratory Director.
"I think having a local capacity would significantly enhance our case follow up and case investigation while they're pending confirmation from the CDC," said Dr. Bhattacharyya.
Doctors who believe a patient might have coronavirus say they'll reach out to an epidemiologist. That person will decide whether testing is needed.
Dr. Bhattacharyya says at that point, doctors will send nasal and throat samples to their lab. They can do 25 to 30 tests per day, but they could potentially ramp that number up. The estimated turnaround time for results is 24 hours.
"We are working towards some of the loose ends to make sure that we increase our capacity, additional staff training. There are huge implications on the biosafety and biosecurity of those things, making sure our own staff are safe as well as all the clinical handling of those reagents and the specimens are safe," said Dr. Bhattacharyya.
Kowalik says incoming federal funds will help cover more staff or overtime as demand for testing grows.
