Numerous agencies are working together in Henderson County to prepare for the possibility of a coronavirus outbreak locally.

A brief update on the county’s preparedness for the virus was presented Monday to the Henderson County Board of Commissioners.

Health Director Steve Smith’s update was not originally on the meeting’s agenda, but was added as concern about the virus spreads.

Since the initial identification of the virus, the county Department of Public Health has worked with its partners - which include Henderson County Emergency Services, Pardee UNC Health Care, AdventHealth Hendersonville, Henderson County Public Schools, healthcare providers and many others - to prepare for the possibility of cases here, according to Smith.

No cases have been confirmed in Henderson County, Smith emphasized. His presentation came before the first North Carolina case was confirmed in Wake County on Tuesday.

The department is receiving daily reports and guidance from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, State Laboratory of Public Health and other federal and state partners about the virus.

Recent information about the spread of the virus to individuals who had no travel history to affected areas, and no known source of exposure, has elevated concerns. Health officials are asking for the community’s help to minimize the impact the illness may cause in the community.

Over the last five years, the commissioners have funded two additional communicable disease nurses and 10 additional school nurses, according to Smith.

"Those proactive steps were intended in part to increase our capacity for communicable disease control and favorably position us to support community needs," Smith said in an email after the meeting.

Smith told commissioners the county has a "great model for working on threats like this."

Chairman Grady Hawkins echoed a similar sentiment.

"We feel the county is very well prepared should the occasion arise and should we need to follow up on any protocols we have in place and have had for some time," Hawkins said.

The public is asked to seek accurate information about the virus from credible sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and the health department, at www.cdc.gov and www.hendersoncountync.gov/health.

The public should also have a family plan for how they will manage if they or a family member need to stay home due to illness, Smith said.

Symptoms for the flu and coronavirus are similar and include fever, cough and shortness of breath. At this time, respiratory symptoms are more likely due to the flu or other viruses as there are still no cases of COVID-19 in this area, according to a news release from the health department.

The following precautions are recommended to protect from the spread of all respiratory illness, including flu and coronavirus:

•Stay home if you are sick.

•Avoid contact with persons who are known to be sick.

•Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

•If you do not have access to soap and water, use hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol.

•Cough or sneeze into your elbow, or into a tissue that you immediately throw away.

•Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces with household cleaners.

For general information, call North Carolina Coronavirus Hotline at 1-866-462-3821, visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus or visit www.hendersoncountync.gov/health .

Health care providers with a patient who might meet clinical criteria as a patient under investigation should immediately isolate the patient and use respiratory, droplet precautions and standard precautions and call the Henderson County Department of Public Health Communicable Disease nurse on call at 828-694-6019, according to the health department’s website.

Nurses are available 24/7 to assist providers in connecting to resources for testing and to ensure appropriate isolation standards.

– Guidance and information for health care providers and others: https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/coronavirus/providers.html

– International Information: www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

– United States Information: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

– North Carolina Information: https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/2019ncov.html

– North Carolina Coronavirus Hotline: 1-866-462-3821