Urgent Care Mobilizes to Fight 2019-nCoV

Literally every day international health officials, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state health departments issue new statements about suspected or confirmed cases of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), possible routes of transmission, and the precautions thought to be helpful in stemming its spread. The CDC updates its dedicated 2019-nCoV webpage as needed and should be considered the most reliable source of solid information on the virus itself, but the Urgent Care Association has issued an advisory with urgent care-specific concerns in mind, led by Jasmeet Bhogal, MD, president of the College of Urgent Care Medicine; Sean McNeeley, MD, FCUCM, immediate past president of the Urgent Care Association; and Joseph Toscano, MD, clinical content advisor of UCA (all three of whom are JUCM Editorial Board members, as well). It includes recommendations on measures to take when patients suspicious for 2019-nCoV present, possible signs of infection (such as fever, lower respiratory symptoms such as coughing or difficulty breathing, and recent travel to or from affected regions of China or contact with a confirmed patient), and assessment tips.