Via ECDC: Updated guidance on novel coronavirus by WHO: surveillance, epidemiological studies and clinical guidance. Click through for the full report and many links and downloads. Excerpt:
Comparing the new and old guidance from WHO it is apparent that one recommendation for testing has changed. The recommendation of prioritizing testing patients with severe respiratory infection who have recently been in a country where there have been sporadic cases appearing without an identified source of infection is no longer included.
In the November WHO guidance there was specific reference to countries in the Arabian Peninsula and neighboring countries. The current ECDC and CDC guidance retains this recommendation.
The CDC guidance also lists the countries and this guidance is echoed in the recommendations of a number of European countries such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
In ECDC’s view, at present there is not a case for considering European countries epidemiologically the same as those countries in the Middle East where indigenous sporadic infections and clusters have been detected.
Europe has to date had three imported cases of severe respiratory infection confirmed as due to the novel coronavirus where the infection was probably acquired in Arabian Peninsula countries. One of these imported infections led to two secondary infections acquired in Europe. One of these secondary infections had a lethal outcome and the other a mild outcome.
Extensive case-contact investigations have not so far revealed on-going transmission or transmission in the European countries. No other infections have come to light in Europe despite considerable testing for novel coronavirus.
Hence with these present data there is a strong case for EU countries retaining the current ECDC recommendation on geography as one risk factor when selecting patients for testing, that is, testing for novel-CoV in patients developing severe acute respiratory infection after being in the Arabian Peninsula and neighboring countries within ten days of onset of symptoms.
Similarly there remains a strong case that health professionals engaged in receiving evacuated patients from the Arabian Peninsula and neighboring countries with any infectious respiratory condition should be vigilant concerning the possibility of infection with novel-CoV. These recommendations are similar to the United States.
