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What is 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)?<\/strong> The first case in the United States was announced on January 21, 2020 and the first case in the Chicago area was announced on January 24, 2020, in a person who had traveled to Wuhan, China.\u00a0The second case\u00a0was announced on\u00a0January 30, 2020, in a close household contact. This is also the first case of human-to-human transmission in the United States.<\/p>\n The latest situation summary updates, including the number of cases identified in the United States, are available on\u00a0CDC’s web page 2019 Novel Coronavirus, Wuhan, China.<\/a><\/p>\n What are the symptoms of 2019-nCoV?<\/strong> CDC believes at this time that it takes between 2 and 14 days to develop symptoms of 2019-nCoV after being exposed to the virus. Novel coronavirus can only be diagnosed through a laboratory test.<\/p>\n How does the virus spread?<\/strong> The main way most coronaviruses (including the common cold) spread is through the droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. In other coronavirus outbreaks, spread has generally occurred between close\u00a0contacts.<\/p>\n What is the treatment for 2019-nCoV?<\/strong> How worried should I be about this novel coronavirus in Chicago? How can I protect myself and my family?<\/strong> As with any respiratory virus, you can protect yourself and others by taking everyday common sense actions:<\/strong><\/p>\n What can travelers do to protect themselves and others?<\/strong> What if I recently traveled to China? Travelers who returned from mainland China prior to February 3 can remain in school and work. If you feel sick with fever, cough or difficulty breathing, you should.<\/p>\n For more information, please visit the CDPH’s\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0or the CDC’s\u00a0website<\/a>, email\u00a0coronavirus@chicago.gov, or call 312-746-4835.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)? 2019 Novel Coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, is a new respiratory virus identified in December 2019 as the cause of an outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. 2019-nCoV has resulted in thousands of confirmed cases in China, with\u00a0additional cases being identified in a growing number of other countries. The first case […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsite.rnrachicago.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsite.rnrachicago.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsite.rnrachicago.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.rnrachicago.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.rnrachicago.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.rnrachicago.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.rnrachicago.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsite.rnrachicago.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.rnrachicago.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsite.rnrachicago.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n2019 Novel Coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, is a new respiratory virus identified in December 2019 as the cause of an outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. 2019-nCoV has resulted in thousands of confirmed cases in China, with\u00a0additional cases being identified in a growing number of other countries.<\/p>\n
\nPeople who get sick with 2019-nCoV develop mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms including fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Many common illnesses can cause these same symptoms. Individuals who have these\u00a0symptoms and have traveled to Wuhan, China or have had close contact with someone with 2019-nCoV should be seen by a doctor or medical professional.<\/p>\n
\nAlthough this virus likely emerged from an animal source, it can also spread from person-to-person. Some viruses are highly contagious (like measles), while other viruses are less so. It’s not clear yet how easily 2019-nCoV spreads from\u00a0person-to-person.<\/p>\n
\nThere is no specific medicine to treat 2019-nCoV infection at this time, though studies are underway. People sick with 2019-nCoV should receive supportive care from a health care professional. Supportive care means care to help\u00a0relieve symptoms; for example, medicine to bring down fevers, or oxygen if a patient’s oxygen level is low.<\/p>\n
\nCurrently, the health risk to the general public from novel coronavirus remains low, both in the U.S. and in Chicago. At this point, there is no need for the general public in Chicago to change their behavior in any way related\u00a0to this virus.\u00a0The Chicago Department of Public Health takes new viruses very seriously, is monitoring the situation carefully, and will rapidly communicate any changes in this guidance.<\/p>\n\u2022 Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.<\/div>\n\u2022 Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.<\/div>\n\u2022 Avoid close contact with people who are sick.<\/div>\n\u2022 Stay home when you are sick.<\/div>\n\u2022 Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.<\/div>\n\u2022 Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.<\/div>\n
\nThe Chicago Department of Public Health recommends avoiding non-essential travel to China.\u00a0Chinese officials have closed transport within and out of Wuhan and other areas in Hubei Province, including buses, subways, trains, and\u00a0the international airport.\u00a0The latest travel updates are available on CDC’s web page Traveler’s Health. If you must travel:<\/p>\n\u2022 Avoid contact with sick people.<\/div>\n\u2022 Avoid animals (alive or dead), animal markets, and products that come from animals (such as uncooked meat).<\/div>\n\u2022 Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.<\/div>\n
\nAny travelers returning from mainland China\u00a0on or after February 3should stay home and monitor their health for up to 14 days after leaving China.<\/p>\n\u2022 Take your temperature with a thermometer 2 times a day and watch your health. A health official will contact you to give additional instructions.<\/div>\n\u2022 If you develop a fever (100.4F\/38C), cough or have difficulty breathing, call CDPH for advice before seeking care. If you can’t reach CDPH, call ahead before going to a doctor’s office or emergency room. Tell them your\u00a0symptoms and that you were in China.<\/div>\n\u2022 Stay home and avoid contact with others.<\/div>\n\u2022 Seek medical care right away.<\/div>\n\u2022 Before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms.<\/div>\n