A Tennessee Tech student is now being tested for what would be the 3rd confirmed case of the Coronavirus in the United States.
Today the University released the following statement about the student:
“On Thursday, a student at Tennessee Tech University presented with very mild symptoms, and with his recent travel history met the criteria for testing for possible infection with the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Health providers quickly recognized that the patient met the criteria for coronavirus testing, but nothing has been confirmed. The individual is being kept isolated while precautionary testing is being conducted. Tennessee Tech and healthcare professionals continue to communicate and collaborate with the Tennessee Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control.”
The Coronavirus was first discovered in Wuhan, China in December and has since spread to most provinces of the country. So far there have been 846 cases confirmed with at least 26 people having already died from the virus.
This week’s Chinese New Year holiday has increased concerns of a pandemic as hundreds of millions of Chinese residents and visitors travel across the country to visit friends, relatives, and tourist sights.
Here in the United States, the first confirmed case of the coronavirus was announced on Tuesday in Washington State, and the second was confirmed by the CDC this morning in Chicago.
According to the CDC, patients with confirmed 2019-nCoV infection have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of:
- fever
- cough
- shortness of breath
CDC believes at this time that symptoms of 2019-nCoV may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 after exposure. This is based on what has been seen previously as the incubation period of MERS viruses.
Some of the best ways to protect against the coronavirus include;
- Wash your hands often with antiviral soap, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are are coughing or sneezing.
- Using NAC (N-acetyl L-cysteine)
- Using probiotics (especially those containing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium)
- Immunity boosting vitamins, including; zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin D3