ST. CROIX, USVI (January 27, 2020) —The Virgin Islands Department of Health has been monitoring the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) since initial reports of an outbreak of respiratory illness was first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. The Department is taking necessary steps to protect Virgin Islands residents.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese authorities identified the new coronavirus, which has resulted in more than a thousand confirmed cases in China, including cases outside Wuhan City. Additional cases have been identified in a growing number of other international locations, including the mainland United States. Human coronaviruses are common throughout the world. Seven different coronaviruses, that scientists know of, can infect people and cause illness. Human coronaviruses commonly cause mild to moderate illness in people worldwide, however, two newer human coronaviruses, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, have been known to frequently cause severe illness.
While there are no reported cases in the Caribbean region, including the United States Virgin Islands, Health Department officials …..
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