On Jan. 30, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency after the coronavirus killed more than 350 in China. The fast-spreading coronavirus has infected more than 20,000 across the world. The hardest-hit Hubei province reported more than 50 new fatalities.
Newly confirmed cases of infection in Hubei are continuing to grow at a steady pace, to more than 1,300 cases. Coronaviruses were first identified in the 1960s. Chinese officials and German doctors suggest that some patients may spread 2019-nCoV during its incubation period, which may last up to 14 days before symptoms emerge. There is no vaccine for coronavirus.
To help prevent a coronavirus infection, do the same things you do to avoid the common cold:
1. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water or with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
2. Keep your hands and fingers away from your eyes, nose, and mouth.
3. Avoid close contact with people who are infected.
4. Get plenty of rest.
5. Drink fluids.
6. Take over-the-counter medicine for a sore throat and fever.
If you are sick, stay at home. If you have traveled to China or have been on an international flight with others from Wuhan in the last two weeks, you may wish to seek medical treatment for any symptoms. Call ahead to let the hospital know the reason for your visit. They may wish to admit you into an isolated unit.
A few military installations have been tapped to house Coronavirus evacuees, including the 168th Regiment, Regional Training Institute, in Fort Carson, Colorado; Lackland Air Force Base, Texas and two bases in California— Travis Air Force Base and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The Associated Press reports that March Air Reserve Base in California had to take in 200 Americans evacuated from China and those travelers had a two-week quarantine on the base.