New Jersey institutes preparedness protocols against novel coronavirus.

Byline: Anthony Vecchione

Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Wednesday New Jersey's preparedness activities related to the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan, China and its recent spread to the United States.

The administration istaking a comprehensive approach to respond to 2019-nCoV by ensuring public health and health care system preparation. At this time,New Jersey has no confirmed cases of2019-nCoVor reports under investigation.

"As governor, I am above all charged with protecting the health and safety of our residents,"said Murphy."New Jersey is an international crossroads, home to global businesses and research and educational institutions, and with proximity to numerous international airports and other points of entry. Together, we are collaborating with our federal partners, state authorities, and local health officials to ensure that we have strong preparedness protocols in place to protect all New Jerseyans."

The administration launched awebpage with resources regarding 2019-nCov, including travel updates and advisories and guidance sent to health care providers, local health departments, infection preventionists, and other health partners.

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A 24-hour hotline (1-800-222-1222) has also been opened for the public to ask questions about2019-nCoV. Thefree resource is operated by the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, also known as the New Jersey Poison Center, and staffed with trained health care professionals; it can accommodate callers in multiple languages.

The New Jersey Department of Health has shared with hospitals across the statespecific guidancefor evaluating reports of patients exhibiting coronavirus symptoms, including the taking of a full travel and potential-exposure history, which is a critical metric when determining whether a patient meets specific criteria for Center for Disease Control (CDC) testing.

New Jersey continues to work closely with the...