nothin Update: Chinese Student Being Retested; All… | New Haven Independent

Update: Chinese Student Being Retested; All Seems Clear

Thomas Breen photo

New city Health Director Maritza Bond and Community Services Administrator Mehul Dalal at City Hall Monday.

Update—During her first day on the job, the city’s new health director confirmed that a deadly Chinese virus likely has not made landfall in the the Elm City.

That said, they should make sure to wash their hands with soap and get appropriate vaccines — because it is flu season, after all.

City Health Director Maritza Bond delivered that update that day after thousands of high school students from around the world were sent home a day early from a New Haven Model United Nations Conference after a student who hails from China fell ill, because of fears associated with a virus originating in that nation.

He apparently has the flu, not the deadly coronavirus, judging from original tests, officials stressed. But they wanted to take extra precautions, so they ended the conference early.

Bond stood alongside Mayor Justin Elicker and Community Services Adminsitrator Mehul Dalal Monday afternoon for a brief press availability on the second floor of City Hall.

A Fair Haven native and the former health director for the City of Bridgeport, Bond formally began her new city department head job by stressing that all city residents should make sure they’re up-to-date on their flu shots — but they should not panic, because the state health department has not identified any confirmed cases of the coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV infection.

Mayor Elicker: Not a major problem.

Elicker (pictured) said that the state health department has identified two individuals in Connecticut who have recently traveled to China and have subsequently come down with flu-like symptoms. One of those individuals, a student at Wesleyan, has tested negative for the coronavirus, and has only the common flu.

The second individual, the one who attended the Yale Model United Nations this weekend, has also tested positive for the common flu, Elicker said. Yale New Haven Hospital is testing that individual for coronavirus as well out of an abundance of caution, and that the hospital and the city should know the results of that test by Tuesday or Wednesday.

At this point nobody’s very concerned that there’s a major problem,” said Elicker. But everybody wants to be ready in the case of a potential problem.”

While there are no indications that there’s a problem in New Haven,” he continued, we want to make sure on top of it.”

Bond said that, in addition to getting to know city Health Department staff, she’s also slated to spend her first day on the job checking in with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during a 2 p.m. phone call.

Meanwhile, a Yale New Haven Hospital spokesperson released this statement Monday afternoon: Yale New Haven Hospital is not currently treating any patients with confirmed 2019 novel Coronavirus. However, we have seen an exceptionally high number of patients with of influenza this winter. Each patient presenting with flu-like symptoms is evaluated thoroughly to prescribe a care plan. Yale New Haven Health also encourages those with respiratory infections to use any of the walk-in clinics listed on our website as an alternative to our emergency department. If you have traveled in China during the past two weeks and are now ill with a possible respiratory tract infection, please call your doctor, or the clinic, first so that you can be cared for in a safe manner.”

See below for an earlier version of this article.

Chinese Student’s Flu Cancels Conference

Thousands of high school students from around the world were sent home a day early from a New Haven Model United Nations Conference after a student who hails from China fell ill, because of fears associated with a virus originating in that nation.

He apparently has the flu, not the deadly coronavirus, judging from original tests, officials stressed. But they wanted to take extra precautions, so they ended the conference early.

The student was attending the Yale-sponsored annual conference. Thousands of students were signed up for the conference.

Students learned Sunday that the day’s final events were being canceled. They weren’t told why.

Yale officials made the decision to cancel the final day, according to a message sent to advisors.

Later Sunday Yale Health Director Dr. Paul Genecin sent the following explanation to the university community via email:

Yale became aware that a high-school student from China who was participating in the annual Yale Model United Nations (YMUN) conference, scheduled for January 23 – 26 on our campus, exhibited cough and fever and was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital, where the student tested positive for influenza. This test result suggests that the student has influenza rather than 2019-nCoV infection. However, out of an abundance of caution, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked that the student be tested for 2019-nCoV. We expect results in the middle of the week.

The patient, who does not exhibit severe symptoms, has been released from the hospital, but has been isolated pending the CDC’s diagnosis. The student is in good condition and we will continue to monitor their progress.

Last night, Dean of Yale College Marvin Chun, in consultation with health experts, requested that YMUN cancel all activities that had been scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 26. YMUN organizers have reached out to advisors as well as those at Yale who had a part in the conference, to inform them of today’s cancelation. This was to be the event’s closing day, and while Yale regrets that the participating MUN students will not be able to complete their conference’s program, we feel it to be in the best interest of those students and of the Yale community to take this precaution.”

The virus so far has killed 56 people and afflicted an estimated 1,000 people or more in Wuhan, China. It has set off global concern and quarantines. Three cases have been reported so far in the U.S.

Earlier Sunday, the conference sent the following update to advisors and delegates, with no details: Because of unforeseen circumstances, all Yale Model United Nations events are canceled for today, Sunday, January 26th. All committee sessions, busing/transportation, and closing ceremonies have been canceled.”

The Connecticut Department of Health planned an 11 a.m. call with Mayor Justin Elicker and other officials to discuss the matter.

Students were staying in five local hotels: Omni Hotel, New Haven Hotel, Courtyard Marriott, La Quinta Inn and Suites, and new Haven Village Suites.

We hope that your delegates had an enriching and eucational experiene this weekend. We understand how much this experience means to delegates,” advisors were told in a separate electronic communication.

The weekend event, which started Thursday, was the 46th annual conference. At this year’s event, nearly 2000 high school students will discuss pressing global issues in the same classrooms that have inspired presidents, prime ministers, and policymakers from around the world,” Secretary-General Aki Dhabba wrote in an advance message to the event.

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