MIAMI, Fla. – Miami-Dade County leaders met on Thursday to discuss how to handle the coronavirus if it comes to the area, but Local 10 also learned that Miami-Dade is missing complete testing kits.
Officials said that the CDC failed to deliver full testing kits to Miami-Dade County, which means samples must be sent to the CDC in Tallahassee causing a two-day delay in results versus a potential five-hour turnaround if the full kits were available here. This is problematic given that Thursday the World Health Organization said swift identification and reporting is critical in preventing a case from becoming a cluster to an outbreak.
It could take as long as two to three weeks for the full testing kits to get to Miami-Dade County.
There are no confirmed cases yet although county health officials said the Center for Disease Control is testing some samples from Miami-Dade.
Screening procedures are underway from Port Miami to Miami International Airport.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez likened their meeting of county department heads, first responders and health officials to preparing for a hurricane threat.
Individual agencies are on their existing hurricane preparedness and infectious disease are working from those protocol playbooks. The one exception could be the airport, but those travel restrictions are being directed by the FAA and not local officials. Regarding, the Port of Miami, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection would relate any news of closing ports should we have an outbreak.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools will determine any kind of school closing in conversation with health department officials, all based on if cases are discovered and how severe.
Given that symptoms are similar to the flu with a fever or a dry cough and with the two-day delay on sample results, officials urge that if you feel sick to stay home.