Coronavirus: What Should Duluthians Expect?

Lab tests have come back negative for two suspected Coronavirus cases in Minnesota

DULUTH, Minn. – Lab tests have come back negative for two suspected Coronavirus cases in Minnesota.

But what exactly is the Coronavirus and what should you know about it?

In recent weeks, the Coronavirus has moved from China to the U.S. Most of the nearly 3,000 people who have contracted the virus live in China, but more than 100 people in the U.S. are also being evaluated for possible infection.

A Coronavirus is a family of viruses and there are many versions out there. Coronaviruses are also the cause of the common cold.

Even though this latest outbreak started thousands of miles away, the spread of the Coronavirus to Minnesota is not unexpected to some local medical professionals.

“It appears that this is spreading pretty readily, so I would certainly expect to see that it’s possible that we would see the Coronavirus in Minnesota,” said Dr. Andrew Thompson, an Infectious Diseases Physician at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth.

Symptoms are fairly similar to influenza. Fever, difficulty breathing, muscle aches.

There’s a lot we don’t know about this current virus and many questions are being investigated. Will it be like SARS and once contained, we will not see it again? Will it spread in the population? Will it have a vaccine or an anti-viral treatment?

To combat the Coronavirus? Dr. Thompson recommends these simple steps.

“Make sure you’ve gotten the flu shot so you don’t get the flu. Wash your hands. Stay home if you’re ill,” Thompson said. “Just the usual common sense things to avoid respiratory infection.”

Notable Coronaviruses have caused outbreaks such as SARS in 2002 and MERS in 2012.

Coronaviruses are fairly common but when there’s a new one, it gets the attention of medical specialists.

People over the age of 50 are often at an increased risk of severe illness, including influenza. More than 80 deaths in China are now being blamed on the Coronavirus.