LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the United States. International airports are scanning their travelers. There have been 26 deaths from this strain of the virus in China.
Thursday night, WHAS11 got a tip that said, "There has been a confirmed case of coronavirus at Audubon Hospital today." Before getting concerned, we reached out to the hospital to get some clarity.
"This is, if you will, a family of viruses that we label coronavirus," said Dr. Paul Schulz, assistant epidemiologist. "Then we have specific strains within that."
So coronavirus, like many viruses, is complex.
The CDC defines coronavirus as a mild to moderate upper respiratory tract illness, like the common cold. That includes types like 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1.
The CDC goes on to say that most people get infected with the virus at some point in their lives.
The coronavirus also includes other strains that have made headlines, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. Those have much more serious symptoms. MERS cases continue to kill in the Arabian Peninsula. About 3 or 4 of every 10 MERS patients die. There have been no reported cases of SARS since 2004, according to the CDC.
"I can tell you for sure that if we identified it as a coronavirus with our current available testing, then it is not the coronavirus of this outbreak or epidemic," said Dr. Schulz.
So, does someone in Louisville, Kentucky have coronavirus? Possibly. But the strain here is not the strain of the virus that is causing serious issues in China and causing screenings in airports.
No need to panic... for now.
More from WHAS11:
- Second US case of Wuhan coronavirus confirmed, France reports 1st Europe cases
- China rapidly building 1,000-bed hospital for coronavirus patients
- China confirms 1st death outside epicenter of coronavirus outbreak; expands lockdowns to 25 million
- China coronavirus not a global health emergency yet, WHO says
- VERIFY: Fact-checking viral coronavirus videos and claims
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