The William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine will host an information session on COVID-19, the coronavirus disease caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2, from 3 until 5 p.m. on March 12 at the Hattiesburg campus.
The session, which will be held in the medical college complex, will include speakers from the college faculty and officials from the Mississippi State Department of Health. The session is free, and the public is invited to attend.
COVID-19, which first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, is caused by a member of the coronavirus family. The virus is a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past.
The 2019 novel – or new – virus has now been detected in 32 locations internationally, including 445 cases in the United States. On Jan. 30, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern,” and, on Jan. 31, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency.
Worldwide, nearly 4,000 people have died from COVID-19.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, coronaviruses “are a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats and bats.” SARS-Cov-2, along with MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, originated in bats, which caused animal-to-person infection.
Person-to-person spread began in a large seafood and live animal market in Wuhan City. The CDC notes that while person-to-person spread “also has been seen among close contacts of returned travelers from Wuhan … this virus is not currently spreading in the community in the United States.”
Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, runny nose, cough and breathing trouble, with most patients developing only mild disease. However, some patients – usually those with other complications – develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal.
While CDC officials say that the potential public health threat posed by COVID-19 is high, both globally and in the U.S., individual risk is dependent on exposure. For the general American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus at this time, “the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low,” according to officials.
The CDC recommends getting a flu vaccine and taking preventive actions to help stop the spread of germs, including frequently washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and running water are unavailable, CDC officials recommend washing hands with an alcohol-based – consisting at least 60 percent alcohol – hand rub.
Other preventive actions include avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
State health officials are “…continuing to monitor this rapidly evolving situation and will continue to provide up-to-date guidance and information as it becomes available.”
Visit msdh.ms.gov or cdc.gov for more information.
