Georgia health officials are now monitoring around 200 of the state’s residents amid concerns of possible cases of the Wuhan coronavirus, which has spread throughout China.
In a statement to American Military News, the Georgia Department of Public Health seeked to relieve any public alarm by clarifying the status of the Georgians;
‘Under the supervision of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), about 200 individuals who have recently returned from China are self-monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). These travelers arrived in the U.S. from mainland China outside Hubei Province with no known high-risk exposure. These individuals are asymptomatic (no symptoms) and are self-isolating at home.’
More than 37,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed throughout mainland China since the coronavirus outbreak began and that number continues to climb.
In China, the coronavirus has resulted in more than 800 deaths, surpassing the death toll China endured during its SARS outbreak in 2002-2003.
Cases of the coronavirus have already been reported in other countries, including Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, France, Australia, Malaysia, Nepal, and Canada.
As cases have emerged inside the U.S., health officials have taken on proactive measures to help prevent the sickness from spreading. Airports have been screening thousands of travelers returning to the U.S. from China and anyone returning from Hubei Province in China is required to go into a 14 day quarantine.
Update: This report has been updated to include a statement from the Georgia Department of Public Health to clarify the situation about the 200 Georgians who are ‘self-isolating.’
