Getty The scene in China where the coronavirus started. There are now two suspected cases in Minnesota.
There are now five suspected cases of coronavirus in the State of Minnesota. That’s as of March 11, 2020.
According to Minnesota Now, the cases include:
A presumptive case in the Rochester area.
Two cases in Ramsey County.
A person in Anoka County.
The University of Minnesota has banned in-person instruction.
“Health officials are currently investigating an outbreak of a 2019 novel (new) coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that began in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. It has now spread to multiple countries, including the United States,” the Minnesota Department of Health says.
According to the Star-Tribune, doctors have been urged to send in lab samples for testing from suspected cases, which is how those cases have been identified.
On January 24, 2020, the CDC confirmed that a Chicago woman was the second known U.S. case of coronavirus. The first person with the virus was reported in the state of Washington. The Chicago woman had limited movement outside her home since returning from China, Patch reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that passengers with ties to Wuhan, China are being screened at five different airports for the virus. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today confirmed the second infection with 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the United States has been detected in Illinois. The patient recently returned from Wuhan, China, where an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by this novel coronavirus has been ongoing since December 2019,” the CDC wrote.
CDC confirmed that the first case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the United States was discovered in the state of Washington. “The patient recently returned from Wuhan, China, where an outbreak of pneumonia caused by this novel coronavirus has been ongoing since December 2019,” the CDC says. There is also a suspected case of Coronavirus in Brazos County, Texas, which is the location of Texas A&M University.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Minnesota Department of Health Says There Are ‘Still Things We Do Not Know’ About Coronavirus
People wear face masks as they wait at Hankou Railway Station on January 22, 2020 in Wuhan, China.
The Minnesota Department of Health has a website page on the Coronavirus. “2019-nCoV is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus that has not been found in people before. 2019-nCoV is not the same coronavirus that caused Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012. However, it is in the same family of viruses,” it explains.
“Because this is a new virus, there are still things we do not know, such as how severe the illness can be, how well it is transmitted between people, and other features of the virus. More information will be provided when it is available.”
Of particular concern: People who’ve traveled to Wuhan, China. “Anyone who recently traveled to Wuhan, China, who experiences fever, cough, or other acute illness should contact a health care provider as soon as possible and mention your recent travel. Please call ahead and inform the health care provider about your travel history,” the site says.
The site continues, “We have sent information to health care providers around the state with current recommendations for screening and testing for 2019-nCoV.”
The CDC has a website devoted to Coronavirus, which you can find here.
That website explains: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely monitoring an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Chinese authorities identified the new coronavirus, which has resulted in hundreds of confirmed cases in China, including cases outside Wuhan, with additional cases being identified in a growing number of countries internationally. The first case in the United States was announced on January 21, 2020. There are ongoing investigations to learn more.”
CDC Is Screening Passengers at Five U.S. Airports for the Coronavirus
Chinese passengers, most wearing masks, arrive to board trains before the annual Spring Festival at a Beijing railway station on January 23, 2020 in Beijing, China.
According to the CDC, the agency is “conducting entry screening of passengers on direct and connecting flights from Wuhan, China to five major airports: Atlanta (ATL), Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles, (LAX) New York city (JFK), and San Francisco (SFO).”
Health officials said in the news conference that passengers coming from Wuhan are being “funneled” to those five airports. The screening there includes checking passengers’ temperature as well as looking for symptoms of the virus.
The screenings started at O’Hare on January 22, 2020, ABC 7 reported. The television station explains that screeners are looking for “symptoms like fever, coughing and shortness of breath.” By mid-afternoon on the first day of screening at O’Hare, 14 passengers had been checked and then were allowed to enter the United States after they weren’t considered to have the virus, ABC 7 reported.
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