Sam Cole (Staff Writer)
Staff at Dominican University’s Wellness Center are paying close attention to the spread of the coronavirus.
Coronaviruses cause illnesses such as the common cold, but it can also cause much more severe illnesses such as upper respiratory failure. In December of 2019, an investigation into a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China led to the discovery of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
According to the World Health Organization, the virus was linked to sea food and a live animal market in Wuhan, but the exact animal that transmitted the virus is still unknown.
Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 85,000 people and killed over 2,800 people, according to China’s health authorities. The Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) reported only 65 confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States, with two of them being in Chicago. However, the CDC reported that influenza (otherwise known as the flu) killed over 80,000 people worldwide last winter.
More students have been visiting Dominican’s Wellness Center recently, but the 25 percent increase in visits in the past three weeks have mainly been for the regular flu, said Robin Shinall, the assistant director for health services.
“There haven’t been any reports [of the coronavirus] here at Dominican, but there have been a rising number of Influenza A reports,” she said.
Much like the coronavirus, Influenza A causes a high fever, upper respiratory problems, and a cough. The influenza virus takes about a week to leave the body, but the cough can persist for up to three months.
Although reports for Influenza A have been increasing, Shinall said Influenza B is what people should be worried about. “[This] strain of influenza killed 92 children last year, the highest death rate in the past 15 years,” she said.
The coronavirus has a comparatively low death toll when put up against influenza, but Christine Platt, a health communications professor, said in a Feb. 14 interview that people need to be cautious.
“There is a reason for concern as there have been confirmed cases [in the United States], but there are also pending results.” This means the number of infected people in the United States could be much higher.
Although the chance of someone contracting the virus at Dominican is very low, the Wellness Center has received extra medical supplies not only for the coronavirus, but also for influenza and other diseases.
If they do receive a patient with the coronavirus, that person would be given a mask, be taken to a quarantined room, and then later transported to the emergency room, Shinal said.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing flu like symptoms, it’s advised you go to the Wellness Center immediately to be evaluated.
For more updates on the coronavirus and Dominican’s response to it, remember to check out dominicanstar.com throughout the week.
scole@my.dom.edu
