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What can you do in response to coronavirus?

First, stay calm. There is no need to panic, health officials advise.

The chance of contracting coronavirus through casual contact with an infected person is extremely slim, says Dr. Robert Citronberg, infectious diseases director for Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

While donning masks would protect against infection, it's also unnecessary for most people at this point, he added.

“The risk of transmission to the general public is extremely low,” Citronberg said. “The only people we are really concerned about are people who have traveled to the areas that are affected, which is mostly Wuhan City, China, or anywhere else the virus is found, and people who are close contacts to those who have traveled to the area.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some causing illness in people and others that circulate among animals, including camels, cats and bats. Unlike Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), animal coronaviruses rarely evolve and spread among people.

The CDC recommends people in close contact — within six feet — with an infected person for a prolonged period of time to wear masks. That prolonged exposure could be anything above 20 minutes.

That means for someone walking through O'Hare International Airport past someone who happened to be infected. “Your risk of catching that virus in that type of setting is extremely low. It's totally unnecessary for anyone in the general public to be wearing masks at this time,” Citronberg said.

He said people should expect more cases of coronavirus to pop up across the country during the next few days and weeks, but there is no need to stay indoors or avoid public spaces.

“The CDC and local health departments have been in front of this,” he said. “We are well prepared to identify and handle people who may have been exposed to the virus.”

He also cautioned against freaking out when someone coughs nearby.

“We are right in the middle of the influenza season,” he said. “There are going to be a lot of people walking around with respiratory infections.”

He urged people take the same precautions recommended to guard against catching the flu: washing hands, covering the mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, and carrying a bottle of alcohol sanitizer.

“You are hundreds of times more likely to get influenza than this coronavirus,” he said. “Have confidence in our local and national public health agencies.”

CDC guidelines on coronavirus

<b>For those infected who can receive care at home:</b>• Stay home except to get medical care. Do not use public transportation or taxis.

• Separate yourself from other people in your home and use a separate bathroom, if available.

• Call ahead before visiting the doctor's office.

• Wear a face mask when in the same room with other people and when visiting a doctor.

• Cover coughs and sneezes. Throw used tissues in a lined trash can and wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available and if hands are not visibly dirty.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

• Avoid sharing household items, such as dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels and bedding, with other people in your home.

• Monitor symptoms. Seek prompt medical attention if illness is worsening.

<b>For caregivers, household members and anyone in close contact with an infected person:</b>• Restrict visitors. Only people essential for providing care for the person should be there.

• Keep older people and those with compromised immune systems or chronic health conditions away from the infected person.

• Make sure shared spaces have good air flow.

• Wash hands often and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

• Wear a disposable face mask, gown and gloves when you touch or have contact with the person's blood, body fluids and/or secretions.

• Throw out disposable face masks, gowns and gloves after use in a lined container. Wash hands immediately afterward.

• Avoid sharing household items.

• Clean all “high-touch” surfaces every day.

• Wash laundry thoroughly.

• Monitor your own health from first close contact with an infected person until 14 days after last close contact.

Symptoms: fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, chills, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting and runny nose.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Protection

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