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Coronavirus: Virginia Department of Health investigates 3 possible cases of the deadly virus; Read Details
The coronavirus has now spread to Virginia, according to the officials. The Department of Health of Virginia has got 3 possible cases with the deadly virus.
The State Department of Health is investigating three potential cases of the new coronavirus in central and northern Virginia. These patients “meet both clinical and epidemiologic criteria” for the virus, which was first detected in Wuhan, China, and has quickly spread to more than 2,000 people, leaving 56 dead in China. There have been five confirmed cases in the United States, two in California and one each in Illinois, Arizona and Washington.
But the three Virginia residents, two from central Virginia and one from the northern part of the state will need additional follow-up and laboratory samples. "They have to be tested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before officials can confirm they are infected", said Lorrie Andrew-Spear, Virginia Department of Health’s risk communication manager.
The department declined to release additional details on the status of the patients, including their recent travel to Wuhan. State Epidemiologist Lilian Peake said that he started receiving calls late last week from physicians around the state who were concerned about potential cases. "These three patients warranted further testing after the initial investigation based on CDC’s criteria", she said. “These are not confirmed cases and to protect their privacy we cannot share any more information about them at this time,” Peake said.
Health officials are working closely with anyone who was in close contact with the three people to prevent the spread of the illness. On Monday, the health department plans to use a new webpage to post the confirmed cases of coronavirus in Virginia and the number of patients they are investigating. The new strain of coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV, can cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illness. Health experts have told the Los Angeles Times that evidence does not suggest the new strain of the coronavirus is more severe or harmful than the flu. But much about the infection is still unknown, as the department of health called its spread a “rapidly evolving situation.” Symptoms can appear anywhere from 2 to 14 days after exposure and can include fever, cough and trouble breathing. Scientists are still researching how quickly it spreads, though similar viruses are mainly transmitted from person-to-person close contact or when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
The department said health care providers should consider the new coronavirus in patients who have recently travelled to Wuhan, a city of more than 10 million people. Fourteen countries have seen confirmed with the cases of the coronavirus. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said on Friday that it is investigating a possible case of the coronavirus, but wrote that it was unlikely the person had the infection.
