The Morgantown area remains untouched by the new strain of coronavirus that has killed almost 200 and sickened more than 8,000 people in China.
Dr. Lee Smith, executive director of the Monongalia County Health Department, said Friday there has not been one case of the new strain reported in the entire state of West Virginia.
“We’re not anticipating any issues,” Smith said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there are six confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in Illinois, Arizona, California and Washington. There are a total of 241 U.S. coronavirus cases under investigation, the CDC said.
The respiratory illness was first detected in Wuhan, a city of 11 million in central China and can now be found in more than 20 countries worldwide. Infectious disease experts said the virus is being spread person to person, and the first such transmission in the U.S. was confirmed Thursday, the CDC said.
The coronavirus is a type of respiratory virus that includes many different strains, including the one for the common cold.
The strain that has wreaked havoc in China is a new strain not seen before, leaving medical professionals unsure on how to treat for it, said Kathy Moffett, a WVU Medicine pediatric infectious disease doctor.
“The deaths, from what I understand, have occurred mostly in the elderly,” Moffett said.
“This is a totally brand new strain,” said Moffett, adding people have not yet developed an immunity to the virus.
“It has the potential for a massive outbreak.”
The three major symptoms of the new coronavirus — dubbed 2019 novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV — are fever, shortness of breath and cough, the CDC said. It will take anywhere from two days to two weeks for symptoms to appear. Moffett said. “And don’t get on an airplane if you’re feeling sick.”
Archana Vasudevan, infectious disease doctor at Mon Health Medical Center, said the risk of the virus having a major impact in the United States is minimal.
“You’re at a higher risk for flu,” Vasudevan said. “Get your flu vaccine.”
Because the number of coronavirus cases is growing in China, the CDC — along with officials from the CDC’s Morgantown office of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health — have beefed up screening efforts at some of the country’s larger airports with flights to China, Smith said.
Airports where arriving passengers from China are now screened for the coronavirus include: John F. Kennedy International in New York City; Los Angeles International; San Francisco International; Hartsfield-Jackson, Atlanta; O’Hare International, Chicago. The other 14 airports where passengers are being screened are in Anchorage, Boston, Dallas, Detroit, El Paso, Honolulu, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, Newark, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The screenings, which focus on passengers from Wuhan, involve a questionnaire detailing travel and contacts during their time in China and whether or not they are experiencing symptoms. They also have their temperatures taken, The Washington Post said.
West Virginia University has 175 Chinese students on its Morgantown campus, a university spokesman said.
Also, Henry Oliver, WVU’s director of Global Advancement, who oversees international travel for the university, said there are no trips planned to China until May, when a group of business students are going to Beijing.
“It is a little too early to call,” said Oliver, when asked if that trip may be cancelled.
“We’re just trying to monitor the situation right now,” Oliver said.
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of State issued a Level 4 Travel Advisory — its highest — telling people not to travel to China because of the coronavirus.
The Chinese government has suspended air, road and rail travel in the area around Wuhan and placed restrictions on travel and other activities throughout the country in an effort to contain the virus.
“Do not travel to China due to the novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China. On [Thursday], the World Health Organization determined the rapidly spreading outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice. Commercial carriers have reduced or suspended routes to and from China,” the advisory said.
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