Centers for Disease Control - Official Sites
February 29, 2020
Background
CDC is responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that was first detected in China and which has now been detected in almost 70 locations internationally, including in the United States. The virus has been named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”).
On January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concernexternal icon” (PHEIC). On January 31, 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States to aid the nation’s healthcare community in responding to COVID-19.
Interim Guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems and 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for COVID-19 in the United States: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-for-ems.html
Guidance for Public Gatherings; https://b8d2ce42-eb7a-49c5-841f-9c5e2ad23b13.usrfiles.com/ugd/b8d2ce_df8df97e34184845ab8222ecdc913566.pdf