Even though there are no reported cases of the novel coronavirus 2019 in Monongalia County, or West Virginia for that matter, West Virginia University cancelled a May trip to Beijing for a group of its business students.
“We decided to cancel the program out of an abundance of caution,” said Henry Oliver, WVU’s director of Global Advancement who oversees international travel for the university. WVU has 175 Chinese students.
“The logistical challenges of obtaining flights and securing in-country transportation made the program unfeasible,” he said.
While there have been no reported cases of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, the state is working to prepare for the spread of the virus. The respiratory illness was first detected in Wuhan, a city of 11 million in China.
As of Feb. 25, there are more than 80,000 cases worldwide, including more than 2,700 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 445 people in the United States have been tested for the virus and there are 19 confirmed cases as of Thursday, Feb. 27.
The coronavirus is a type of respiratory virus that includes many different strains, including the one for the common cold. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of the coronavirus include fever, cough and shortness of breath. The symptoms usually surface two to 14 days after exposure.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources said most state residents are unlikely to be exposed to the virus.
“We are working to ensure our health systems, emergency management agencies, first responders and county health departments are prepared and have the resources they need to respond to localized outbreaks in West Virginia communities,” Cathy Slemp, state health officer and commissioner of the DHHR’s Bureau of Public Health, said in a statement.
Local health departments are equipped with guidance and toolkits to safely monitor the health of any state resident who was in China or elsewhere in the world.
“To date, there is no evidence of the virus in the county, the state or surrounding states,” said Diane Gross, regional epidemiologist for the Monongalia County Health Department. “The best defense is diligence with handwashing and coughing into your sleeve.”
Gross and others said local and state residents are more at risk for the flu. They also said it is still not too late to get a flu shot.
There have been reports of COVID-19 in California, Washington, Texas, Nebraska, Arizona, Wisconsin, Illinois and Massachusetts, the New York Times reported.
The CDC is advising people to not travel to China and South Korea and to “reconsider” travel to Japan, Italy and Iran, where coronavirus-related deaths have occurred.
CDC officials have also said because the risk level for the virus is low, it does not recommend face masks for those who are not sick or caring for someone who is infected. Instead, keep a distance of six feet and cover your nose or mouth when you sneeze or cough and wash your hands.
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