Coronavirus Update February 26

The first group of people quarantined for 14 days showed no symptoms of the Coronavirus. Monroe County health officials said Monday the 14 people are no longer in isolation. There are still 14 more people in quarantine in their homes in the county and so far they show no symptoms of the virus.

In New York State there have been no confirmed cases of Coronavirus. However, top U.S. health officials warned Tuesday Americans should be prepared for when the virus hits communities across the country.

The head of the Center for Disease Control Dr. Nancy Messonnier said “It’s not so much a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness.”

The U.S. is taking some measures to contain the spread of the virus. Placing travel restrictions to China and isolating travelers as they come back from affected areas.

The CDC said Americans so prepare for a disruption of everyday life when the virus begins to spread throughout communities. This would include school closings, working from home, canceled events, and delaying some medical procedures.

The good news is health experts say 80% of the cases are mild and symptoms are more like the common cold. So far there are 57 cases in the United States, 40 of those cases were from the Carnival Diamond Princess cruise ship.

The White House requested authorization to move $2.5 billion for emergency preparedness and another $1.25 billion in new funding. The money requested from Congress will go to virus surveillance, state and local preparedness, treatments.

Scary stuff.

You can minimize your risk of getting sick by washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap. Staying home if you do get sick, avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose without washing hands first.

Globally the total number of cases reported are over 80,000 and the number of deaths are about 3,000. The virus outbreak has spread to Iran, Italy, and South Korea.

Source: WXXI