DOVER, Del.- The Delaware Division of Public Health said Wednesday that a Kent County resident is being tested for a potential case of coronavirus.
The patient is being monitored, more specifically, for 2019 novel coronavirus, also known as 2019-nCoV, according to DPH. Test results are pending from the CDC, and are expected in the coming days. The patient is currently hospitalized in isolation out of what DPH described as an "abundance of caution."
DPH said it determined testing should be done after a review of the patient's travel history and symptoms with the CDC. No further information about the patient is being released, according to DPH.
"There is no widespread risk to hospital staff or other patients as all appropriate protective precautions are being taken," DPH said in a release.
DPH said that while the available information suggests a low immediate health risk for the general public, it considers any new infectious disease a serious concern and is working with health care providers to promptly identify and evaluate any suspected cases.
DPH said it will keep the public updated as the situation evolves. DPH has posted information about 2019-nCoV and our activities related to the outbreak on its website: https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph.
According to DPH, most people are at greater risk of contracting seasonal influenza than coronavirus. Only those individuals with recent travel to China, or contact with someone who has had recent travel and is ill, have an increased risk for becoming ill. DPH said that for persons without an associated travel risk, it should be assumed that most respiratory illnesses are not 2019 Novel Coronavirus.
Symptoms of 2019-nCoV are most similar to lower respiratory infections with patients having fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
There is no specific antiviral treatment recommended for 2019-nCoV infection. Many individuals infected with 2019-nCoV recover with rest, drinking plenty of fluids, and taking over-the-counter medications to help relieve symptoms, according to DPH.
There have been no reports of deaths from coronavirus outside China.
