(BIVN) – The World Health Organization has officially given the novel coronavirus a name, COVID-19.

“For all further coronavirus messages from the Department of Health and the County of Hawaii, the coronavirus will be referred as COVID-19,” stated Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense in a Thursday message. “In a continual effort to prevent the virus from entering Hawaii, State Health and State Transportation officials together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to monitor and screen inbound passengers at Honolulu International Airport for any individuals that may have been affected by the virus.”

There are no cases of the COVID-19 virus in the State of Hawaiʻi, officials say, and “there are NO Department of Health advisories issued to the public at this time for the State of Hawaii as there are no cases of the virus in Hawaii.”

“The Department of Health continues to encourage all persons to do their part by taking protective hygiene measures like washing your hands often,” the civil defense message stated.

Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaiʻi) joined with colleagues in calling on the Department of Health and Human Services to “establish clear guidelines for how state and local governments will be reimbursed for costs incurred while assisting the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak.”

“We write to ask that your department establish clear guidelines for state and local governments to receive federal reimbursement for costs they incur as part of the federal response to the current deadly coronavirus outbreak,” wrote the senators. “Many state and local health departments and hospitals have helped support the transportation and quarantine efforts, and it is important they be notified of the criteria by which the department will ask them to document and report what resources they contributed to the federal response for reimbursement.”

The Trump administration has identified military bases and health facilities near 11 major airports that can support Americans evacuated from China, including facilities in California, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Texas, Georgia, New York, Washington, New Jersey, Michigan, and the District of Columbia.

The County of Hawaiʻi says it continues to work closely with state and federal partners to keep residents safe, healthy, and informed.

If you need further information, civil defense asks you to call:

• The Department of Health at 974-6001
• After-hours at 211
• Or, Visit health.hawaii.gov

The CDC today confirmed another infection with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in the United States. “The patient is among a group of people under a federal quarantine order at JBSA-Lackland in Texas because of their recent return to the U.S. on a State Department-chartered flight that arrived on February 7, 2020,” CDC reported. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States to 15. This compares to 45,171 cases confirmed globally, mostly in China. Of that number, the World Health Organization says 1,115 have died (all but one in China).