Coronavirus In MA: Health Officials Vigilant, But Risk Is 'Low'

Health officials from around the globe, including in Massachusetts, are keeping a close eye on the new coronavirus as it continues to spread to America. But even as a second U.S. case was confirmed Friday morning, the risk in the Bay State is low.

"At this time, the risk to residents in Massachusetts is low," the Department of Public Health said this week in a letter to health care providers.

While many major airports have been screening some inbound passengers, DPH said there are no immediate plans to do so at Logan. Still, several passengers from on a flight from Hong Kong were screened Wednesday night as a precaution. No passengers showed signs of illness.

The pneumonia-like virus is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China. It can be transmitted between people, but its infectiousness has yet to be determined.

More than two dozen deaths have been reported and hundreds have fallen ill. The World Health Organization decided Thursday it was too soon to declare a public health emergency.

A Chicago woman has become the second person in the United States to be diagnosed with the virus, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The 60-year-old woman came back from China Jan. 13. Officials said she is doing well.

She joins a Washington man in his 30s who also recently travelled to China, getting back Jan. 15. He is in stable condition.

What is coronavirus?

According to the CDC, coronaviruses are part of a large family of viruses that cause illnesses both in humans and animals. In rare cases, animal coronaviruses can evolve to infect people. The new virus is officially referred to as "2019 novel coronavirus" or "2019-nCoV."

Coronaviruses are responsible for illnesses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

What Is A Novel Coronavirus? Health Officials Explain

Researchers around the globe are still determining precisely how the virus spreads. Many patients in the Wuhan outbreak had visited a large seafood and animal market, but a growing number of patients have no connection. The CDC said that indicates limited person-to-person transmission is possible — but it remains unknown how easily it spreads among people. Illnesses have been confirmed outside of China in Thailand, Japan and South Korea, as well as now two cases in the United States.

Coronavirus symptoms

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, common human coronaviruses usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory illnesses, like the common cold. These illnesses typically only last for a short time.

Symptoms may include:

• runny nose
• headache
• cough
• sore throat
• fever
• a general feeling of being unwell

Coronaviruses can also sometimes cause lower-respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia or bronchitis.

The illness can spread through:

• the air by coughing and sneezing
• close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
• touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands
• rarely, fecal contamination

There are currently no vaccines to prevent coronavirus, but IDPH offers these tips for preventing the spread of the illness:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Shannon Antinori, Patch, contributed to this report