County shares safety vehicles against coronavirus at the Malverne Fire Department

The total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nassau stood at 17 as of press time Monday, according to County Executive Laura Curran. There was one confirmed case in Suffolk. 

Curran held a news conference at the Malverne Fire Department on Monday to demonstrate the types of specialty emergency response vehicles used in the event of a large-scale infectious disease response. The safety vehicles featured at the news conference included a hazmat, special operations, a command bus, and a major emergency response vehicle.

“We don’t need to use all of these resources at this time,” Curran said, “but in case this gets more out of control, I want people to know what we have and what we’re ready to respond with.”

“While we’re safe here in Malverne, and we cannot do it without the resources that the county provides,” said Malverne Mayor Keith Corbett.

The Nassau County Fire Marshal’s staff, Curran explained, are equipped to assist the 71 volunteer fire departments and six volunteer ambulance corps in Nassau County with both small, local and large, regional hazardous material incidents such as a virus outbreak.

“It relies on communication. It relies on dedication,” said Nassau County’s OEM commissioner Steven Morelli. “It relies on the hard work of all the men and women that are helping to fight this particular health issue at the moment. We, at the Office of Emergency Management, are doing what we can to make sure that everyone has the equipment that they need.”

Curran posted county Department of Health guidelines on Twitter: Elderly residents and those with respiratory conditions should not attend large public gatherings, and people feeling sick should not visit the elderly and those with respiratory conditions.

On the state level, State Assemblywoman Judy Griffin, who represents Malverne, said she met with Dr. Howard Zucker, the commissioner of the state’s Department of Health, last week to learn more about the coronavirus. “This is such an important issue that needs all hands on deck,” Griffin said. “Everyone needs to work together, and I’m grateful that we’re in such good hands in Nassau County and all of our villages.”

Across New York state, there were 106 confirmed cases, including 82 in Westchester County and 12 in New York City, with one in Far Rockaway. Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency.

Cuomo said he expected the number of coronavirus cases to climb as the state conducted more tests for the virus. Northwell Health and Stony Brook University Hospital are aiding in testing patients.

Nassau’s first confirmed case of coronavirus was a 42-year-old man who works at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, according to Uniondale School District and Mercy officials.

Uniondale Superintendent Dr. William Lloyd said in a statement on Friday, “The district has been in close contact with Nassau County and New York state health officials, and we have been told that at the current time, there is no reason to take any additional precautionary or preventive measures than those we already have in place.”

Authorities said the man is a part-time employee at Mercy, and they were reviewing with whom he came in contact. Officials said they were unsure how he contracted the illness, but he had not been to work at the hospital for a week.

He was being treated at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, officials said. Cuomo said on March 5, “His condition keeps improving.”

In a statement to the Herald, Mercy Medical Center said the New York State Department of Health notified the hospital of the case on March 3.  The man last worked an eight-hour shift at Mercy toward the end of February when he was not exhibiting symptoms, the statement said.

Mercy’s infection prevention specialists were conducting a contact investigation with people the man may have been in contact with, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Mercy officials said. They also noted that Catholic Health Services, which Mercy falls under, is “prepared to diagnose and treat patients showing symptoms of COVID-19 while also taking the necessary steps to prevent the spread of the disease.”

“The health system is prepared, and prevention and control protocols are in place to appropriately isolate patients who enter its facilities to prevent the potential transmission of infection,” said Patrick O’Shaughnessy, CHS’s executive vice president and chief clinical officer. “All CHS clinical personnel are educated on the latest CDC and New York State Department of Health coronavirus guidelines and recommendations.

Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein, the Nassau County health commissioner, said on Friday, “We’re doing a case-contact investigation, which is what our disease investigators do.

“We’re going to interview them and their family and identify whoever they’ve been in contact with and make recommendations based on exposure or not exposure,” he continued.

“We want people to be calm,” Eisenstein said. “We want people to go about their usual business. It is cold and flu season without the presence of coronavirus, and it’s a respiratory virus. What works for cold and flu prevention also works for coronavirus prevention.”

Most important, people should thoroughly wash their hands — up to 20 seconds — and limit physical contact such as handshaking and hugging.

And, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said, “If you’re sick, stay home.”

“We’re taking every step necessary to keep our residents healthy and safe,” Curran tweeted.

She added, “Reminder: If you’re sick, call your healthcare provider before visiting. They’ll direct you on next steps.”