Health officials provide tips on keeping safe from coronavirus

JACKSON, Tenn. — As the coronavirus spreads around the world, health professionals have information on what families need to do to prepare.

Health officials say the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has infected more than 80,000 people in at least 50 countries, including Italy, Iran and South Korea.

Cynthia Cole, director of infection control at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital explains some of the symptoms of the virus.

“It can cause illness as light as a cold or a severe as pneumonia or even death,” Cole said.

According to the World Health Organization, the most common symptoms of the coronavirus include fever, tiredness, and dry cough.

Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose and sore throat.

Health officials say if your child is sick, it’s important to keep them home from school in order to protect other children from getting sick. That goes for adults too.

Older people and those with underlying medical problems, like high blood pressure, heart problems and diabetes, are more likely to develop the virus.

“Hand washing is always the best way to prevent infection, and certainly if you know you are ill you should stay home and not communicate that to anyone,” Cole said.

People with no respiratory symptoms, such as cough, don’t need to wear a medical mask.

“Assessing all of our patients that come into the hospital for any possible sign of infection or a travel history to China, so we would further evaluate those patients on a one-by-one basis,” Cole said.

“We already have procedures in place where we monitor travelers anyway, regardless of the disease. And we would monitor that patient if that patient qualified for testing. If it came back positive, we’d of course quarantine them in their home,” regional epidemiologist for the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department Shana Wilbanks said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned older and at-risk travelers to avoid Japan, Italy and Iran. The agency also has advised against all non-essential travel to South Korea and China.