Hotline opens for virus questions

NEW YORK STATE--Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday, Feb. 2 updates about the coronavirus which has impacted China and caused global concern about the spread of the illness.
Samples from 12 New Yorkers have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing. Of those, 11 have come back negative. One sample, from New York City, is awaiting results but there have been no confirmed cases yet in the state.
A new hotline and website have been established where Department of Health experts will be available to answer questions regarding the Novel Coronavirus. The phone number is 1-888-364-3065 and the website https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/#_blank.
"We take situations like this very seriously," said Cuomo. "Whatever happens internationally, it ends up at our doorstep eventually...Precaution is always the best practice. Preparedness is always the best practice, and that is what we do here in New York. At the same time, we have to keep this in perspective. There is no reason to panic. There is no reason to have an inordinate amount of fear about this situation. There are different viruses that develop on an ongoing basis."
The recently detected coronavirus can lead to fever, cough and shortness of breath. There are thousands of confirmed cases in China, including cases outside of Wuhan and additional cases being identified in a growing number of countries internationally, including the United States.
The 2019 novel coronavirus is a new virus and shouldn't be confused with other coronaviruses that have been around for many years causing upper respiratory symptoms, like the common cold. If a routine test ordered by your health care provider and done at a local hospital or lab, is positive for coronavirus, that means that you have one of the common coronaviruses. The only way to test for 2019 novel coronavirus is through specialized testing at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most of the early reported cases involved contact with seafood in live animal markets, suggesting an animal source of the outbreak. However, most cases are now likely to be spread from person to person by droplets when coughing.
For additional information see www.cdc.gov.