As local government and health officials continue to work to limit the spread of the coronavirus in Pima County, they’re also looking to contain the spread of something else — rumors and misinformation.
Earlier last week, the county confirmed its first case of COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory illness, in a resident of unincorporated Pima County who had recently returned from an area with community spread. He had been tested last week and reported later in the week “that he’s feeling fine and that he’s recovering from the illness,” a county spokesman said.
A second local case was confirmed Friday evening. County officials said how the person contracted the virus is under investigation and other members of the person’s household are under observation and in home isolation.
The information regarding the positive tests was sent to the media via press release, part of a concerted effort to release information to the public, whether it’s through press conferences, interviews, posting daily video updates on social-media pages featuring interim county health director Dr. Bob England, and responding to any misinformation “coming from an organization or a person who carries a measure of authority that would tend to believe them.” The county has also created a webpage for any local information, pima.gov/covid19.
But despite the efforts of Pima County director of communications Mark Evans and his staff, rumors have persisted throughout the local area, ranging from suggestions that there are a number of unconfirmed cases, home remedies that kill the virus and hospitals going on lockdown.
“There is no one in your local government, state government or in the federal government at the CDC that is going to purposely lie to you and withhold information and endanger your health,” Evans said. “We’re trying to do everything we can to prevent the spread and severity of this very serious illness. The No. 1 way that we can fight this thing is with good information.”
Evans said he and the county staff have done the majority of their work behind the scenes, giving information to schools, health-care providers and nursing homes, making sure they are prepared in how to respond to a potential outbreak.
“The most important thing that we can do as a county is making sure people trust the information that we’re telling them,” he said.
“I didn’t want there to be information out there that the county was withholding information, because we wouldn’t do so.”
For the hospitals, they acknowledged that “rumors and misinformation can have harmful consequences,” according to a statement from Gordon E. Carr, chief medical officer for Banner-University Medical Center Tucson.
The hospital staff has been sending out updates on a “near daily basis,” according to the statement. That information included outlining a consistent approach to preparation, monitoring supply inventories, developing a process to screen patients who would meet criteria for testing, and limiting access to hospitals.
“Above all, we urge anyone who is ill with a fever, cough or having trouble breathing to contact their health-care provider to discuss your symptoms and determine if an in-person evaluation or testing is necessary. Ultimately, if you are sick, stay home — do not go out in public. Ill or not ill, we recommend everyone implement personal hygiene habits including washing your hands with soap and water frequently, coughing into a tissue or your elbow, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth,” Carr said.
Despite the warnings, Dr. Francisco Garcia, the county’s chief medical officer, acknowledged “there’s so many damn crazy rumors.”
“I get these calls. My staff gets these calls that I am sure I have COVID-19. I am sure because of X, Y and Z,” he said this week. “Our response will always be the same. Are you sick? Number one. If not, monitor your system. If you are sick, are you really sick? Do you need to be seen by a doctor? Do you need to be intubated in the hospital? If you are, we’ll figure out how to get you there?”
He ultimately said “there are not a zillion positives that we haven’t told you about.”
“We will go to the public with any positives that we have fairly quickly because we need to be transparent,” he said. “The only way that we get you to listen to us is by being responsive and by responding quickly.”
Here are links to sites concerning the coronavirus outbreak:
Arizona Department of Health Services — www.azdhs.gov
City of Tucson — tucsonaz.gov
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