With one case of the Coronavirus, also known as the Covid-19 virus, identified in Wisconsin, state health officials are closely monitoring conditions for a possible outbreak. To date, 17 people have been tested. Of those people tested, one case of the virus has been confirmed, 15 people tested negative and one case is still pending, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
The virus is spread mainly from person to person. Originating in China, health experts have signaled concern because little is known about the virus. It can cause severe illness and pneumonia in some individuals.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services held a press conference Tuesday about what is being done to contain the virus.
Here’s the latest:
What should you know about C0vid-19
For confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death. Symptoms can include:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
CDC believes at this time that symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure. This is based on what has been seen previously as the incubation period of MERS-CoV viruses.
The latest situation summary updates are available on CDC’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) web page.
How efficiently does the virus spread?
How easily a virus spreads from person-to-person can vary. Some viruses are highly contagious (like measles), while other viruses are less so. Another factor is whether the spread continues over multiple generations of people (if spread is sustained). The virus that causes COVID-19 seems to be spreading easily and sustainably in Hubei province and other parts of China. In the United States, spread from person-to-person has occurred only among a few close contacts and has not spread any further to date.
There is still more to be learned
COVID-19 is an emerging disease and there is more to learn about its transmissibility, severity, and other features and what will happen in the United States. New information will further inform the risk assessment.
SOURCE: Center for Disease Control
How COVID-19 Spreads
Current understanding about how the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads is largely based on what is known about similar coronaviruses.
Person-to-person spread
The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.
- Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet)
- Via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
- These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
Spread from contact with infected surfaces or objects
It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
When does spread happen?
- People are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (the sickest).
- Some spread might be possible before people show symptoms; there have been reports of this with this new coronavirus, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
SOURCE: Center for Disease Control