Health experts say no immediate concern for coronavirus in SWFL

Published: Updated:
Credit: via WINK News.

Images of people wearing face masks in China trying to prevent from getting the coronavirus have made the news across the globe. Hundreds of people have contracted the disease worldwide. In fact, a possible case of the respiratory virus is now under investigation in United States.

We spoke to experts at Lee Health about how you can protect yourself from getting coronavirus. The short answer is there is not an immediate need to worry about contracting the disease in Southwest Florida.

But Lee Health says it’s closely monitoring the situation and looking to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for guidance. The CDC says the corona-virus outbreak is a rapidly evolving situation.

One thing we do know is that it looks like the disease is only spreading through human-to-human transmission in China currently.

UPDATE: Per the Associated Press, according to China’s National Health Commission, there are currently 830 cases of new respiratory disease in Asia, with 25 deaths due to the disease. And there is one confirmed case in the U.S. out of Texas currently.

Meanwhile, medical professionals throughout Southwest Florida are preparing.

“Florida Department of Health has gotten information out to local hospitals, telling them what they need to do and watch out for,” Dr. Mary Beth Saunders, a medical director of infection prevention and epidemiology at Lee Health. “… Even our electronic medical records system has sent out an alert, so that we can be better prepared in making sure we’re screening people at the local level.”

So coronavirus has not become a global threat, but local, state and federal medical professionals are monitoring the situation.

The best way to prevent catching any virus is to wash your hands, and stay home if you’re feeling sick.

Note: The video above shares numbers of patients affected by coronavirus prior to a later update by the China’s National Health Commission, which is reflected in the article above. 

MORE: 

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.