Oak Ridge Today

Updated: City prepares for coronavirus as first case reported in Tennessee

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Note: This story was last updated at 5:45 p.m.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson on Tuesday outlined preparations in the city for a potential coronavirus outbreak. Two days later, on Thursday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee reported that the first case of coronavirus, which has spread across the globe, has been confirmed in the state.

In Oak Ridge, Watson said, there is initial public safety planning to identify local efforts to protect residents, and local officials are communicating with schools and hospitals. The Anderson County Department of Health and Tennessee Department of Health are in frequent contact with the city, Watson said.

Procedures that are in place under the city’s emergency operations manuals are being adapted to account for the effects of viruses such as the coronavirus, and protocols and procedures are being established for city employees who will be in contact with potential infections, Watson said.

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ORNL supercomputer used to identify drug compounds that could help fight coronavirus

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A compound, shown in gray, was calculated to bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, shown in cyan, to prevent it from docking to the Human Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2, or ACE2, receptor, shown in purple. (Image credit: Micholas Smith/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy)

Note: This story was last updated at 10:55 a.m.

The Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been used to identify drug compounds, including medications and natural compounds, that could help fight coronavirus, although more study is needed.

“The researchers used Summit, the world’s most powerful and smartest supercomputer, to identify 77 small-molecule drug compounds that might warrant further study in the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which is responsible for the COVID-19 disease outbreak,” ORNL said in a response to questions Wednesday.

The researchers performed simulations on Summit of more than 8,000 compounds to screen for those that are most likely to bind to the main “spike” protein of the coronavirus, rendering it unable to infect host cells. They ranked compounds of interest that could have value in experimental studies of the virus. They published their results on “ChemRxiv.”

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ORNL involved in early research on coronavirus

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory is involved in early research and using the Summit supercomputer to better understand components of the coronavirus. (Photo credit: Carlos Jones/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is involved in early research and using the Summit supercomputer to better understand components of the new coronavirus, which was first reported in China but is now being reported in a growing number of countries across the world, including the United States.

The early research at ORNL uses computational modeling and data analysis techniques on Summit, the world’s most powerful supercomputer. Results are not published yet, ORNL said Friday afternoon.

Oak Ridge Today has requested more information about the lab’s research, including who the work is for and what parts of the virus are being researched, but that information wasn’t immediately available.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is closely monitoring the outbreak of respiratory illnesses caused by the new coronavirus, and there are ongoing investigations to learn more.

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Current risk of coronavirus is low, but schools, health dept. provide info

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The immediate risk of the coronavirus in the United States is believed to be low, but Oak Ridge Schools, Anderson County Schools, and the Anderson County Health Department are providing information to help respond to the emerging public health threat.

“Oak Ridge Schools is committed to keeping our students and staff safe and are currently working to determine the appropriate steps to address the potential coronavirus outbreak,” the school system said in a message sent to staff members on Friday afternoon. “We are communicating with the Anderson County Health Department to attain the latest information and recommendations from federal, state, and local authorities.”

Oak Ridge Schools said it will use that information to create a plan to keep students and staff safe.

“Staff, students, and parents will receive information regarding a coronavirus plan should the implementation of such action become necessary,” the message said.

The school system said it will communicate with students, staff, and parents about the importance of consistently practicing these recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

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