This blog was originally posted in 2020. Some information may be out of date. For the latest updates on vaccines, testing, screening, visitor policy and post-COVID support, visit EEHealth.org/coronavirus.

We’re all watching the daily news about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation.

The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Health and Human Services have declared the outbreak a public health emergency.

In March 2020, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization reported there have been more than 95,000 COVID-19 cases confirmed in 70 international locations, including the United States.

What we’re doing to prepare for a possible coronavirus outbreak

Edward-Elmhurst Health is closely monitoring the situation and all updates from the CDC, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and DuPage County Health Department.

These websites will have the most up-to-date information about the virus and prevention recommendations.

We’re keeping up to date with the current guidelines from the CDC, including travel screening guidelines. Our work is mirroring the most current recommendations from the CDC.

If you have questions about coronavirus, call the IDPH Illinois Coronavirus (COVID-19) Hotline at 800-889-3931 or email DPH.SICK@ILLINOIS.GOV anytime, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

What is coronavirus?

Most people have been infected with a coronavirus at some point in their lives.

Human coronaviruses usually cause the common cold, including symptoms like a runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat and fever.

There are four different human coronaviruses that commonly infect people. There are also coronaviruses that are common in animals, such as bats and camels.

Sometimes, although rarely, an animal coronavirus evolves to infect humans. When that happens, the symptoms can be more severe.

That appears to be the case with the new virus, COVID-19.

Other strains of coronavirus that have spread from an animal to a human include Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), which was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which was first reported in Asia in 2003.

Both MERS and SARS cause severe illness, including fever, headache, body aches, coughing and diarrhea. While outbreaks of those viruses were widespread around the world, neither virus was widely spread in the United States.

According to the CDC, only two people in the U.S. have ever tested positive for MERS, in May 2014. In 2003, only eight people in the United States had laboratory evidence of a SARS infection, and they had all traveled to places in the world where SARS had been spreading.

How does COVID-19 spread?

Human coronaviruses spread from person to person by respiratory droplets, when an infected person coughs or sneezes; by close personal contact such as shaking hands; or, less commonly, by touching a contaminated surface or object then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands.

Experts believe COVID-19 mainly spreads from person to person between those who are in close contact (within six feet of each other) via respiratory droplets produced when someone coughs or sneezes. Others become infected by having the droplets land in their mouth or nose or by inhaling them.

The first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was reported Jan. 21, 2020.

What happens if you get COVID-19?

Health officials say this new strain of coronavirus is causing severe symptoms but may be less severe than MERS and SARS.

Symptoms that have been reported include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

Symptoms have ranged from mild to severe to deadly.

If you have symptoms, stay home and call your doctor’s office or the local health department before visiting a healthcare facility.

How can you avoid catching coronavirus?

Health experts recommend people follow flu-season prevention practices, including:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth if your hands have not been washed.
• Avoid close contact with sick people. Stay home if you’re sick.
• Frequently clean surfaces.
• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough/sneeze.
• Wear a mask.

This blog was reviewed by Annemarie Schmocker, infection prevention manager at Elmhurst Hospital and Mary Anderson, infection prevention manager at Edward Hospital, and was updated on Jan. 20, 2021. 

Edward-Elmhurst Health offers screening options for COVID-19. Eleanor, your personal virtual assistant, can help you check your symptoms 24/7 and advise you on what to do next. We also offer Video Visits and E-Visits for COVID-19 symptoms.

For COVID-19 updates, please check EEHealth.org/coronavirus.

The information in this article may change at any time due to the changing landscape of this pandemic. Read the latest on COVID-19.