The Berrien County Health Department is working to assure local residents that it’s on top of the unfolding situation with novel coronavirus, and that there is no need to worry. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News as of this Tuesday morning, there were still no confirmed cases of the respiratory illness in Michigan.
“At this time, the risk for any immediate transmission here in the United States remains very low,” Conrad said.
Conrad says the Berrien County Health Department is in constant communication with local healthcare providers and the government to be up to date on the virus. She says person-to-person contact is the way the virus primarily spreads, and the concern involves people who have recently traveled to China. The health department has been getting questions about things like packages sent from China.
“This particular virus has a very, very, very low chance of being able to survive on a hard surface for days or weeks, so the chance of it being transmitted through a package is extremely low.”
The vast majority of novel coronavirus cases have been in China, and the concern remains with those who have recently been there, specifically to Wuhan. Conrad notes those coming into the U.S. from there have been getting screened at major airports. She notes while the risk of novel coronavirus is very low, there are lots of other viruses, like the flu, circulating that could make people sick. Therefore, she recommends frequent hand washing. You can learn more about the illness at the CDC’s website.
