January 28, 2020
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Coronavirus, Novel Virus, Preventive Measures, US Student, Wuhan Virus
The spread of coronavirus (2019-nCov) that originated in Wuhan in China has not only affected the students going overseas from China to other countries to study but also those students who have traveled to China, either during winter vacation or for tourism purposes.
Governments and health departments in countries like the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada etc. have issued advisories to their citizens to not travel to those regions of China that have been severely affected by the virus.
In this blog, Student Cover assesses how the outbreak of the virus is affecting students traveling from China to other parts of the world and what measures the authorities are taking to prevent the spread of the disease.
As of now, there have been 5 confirmed cases of people being affected by the coronavirus in the US. This includes a student of Arizona College. Earlier, a student of Texas A&M was suspected to have contacted the disease. However, as per local reports, the test conducted on the student has shown negative result. In Australia, a student of University of New South Wales has become the fourth person in the country to test positive for coronavirus.
In most countries overseas, the health officials as well as school, college or university authorizes are trying to prevent the spread of disease in colleges and universities through the following:
1. MONITORING – Since the virus has been found to have originated in Wuhan in China, health officials in countries like the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc. have kept those students and staff members who have recently been to China under watch. The virus has an incubation period of 2 to 14 days. This means that it takes 2 to 14 days after the person has first contacted the virus to get infected by it. Therefore, even those persons (including students and teachers) who are not yet sick have been put under watch.
2. OBSERVATION – Those students and teachers who are suffering from cold and fever have been kept under observation. The coronaviruses affects the upper part of respiratory system in the body and causes cold and fever along with respiratory problems. The health authorities are observing the students and are conducting tests to check if the student or teacher is suffering from the dreaded virus.
3. QUARANTINE – As far as those students who have already contacted the disease, they have been put under quarantine so as to prevent its spread to others. The virus, like any common cold spreads from person to person through contact with the infected person.
4. ADVICE TO STAY HOME & TAKE PRECAUTION – Authorities in some countries are also asking parents to keep their children who have been to China to stay at home so that they do not come in contact with other children in school. This could lead to the spread of the disease while playing or sharing food with other children. Students have also been asked to take precautionary measures such as regularly washing hands with soap.
In the absence of a vaccine or drugs, the only way to prevent the virus from further spreading is through precaution. This might cause inconvenience to many students and their parents but to stop the virus outbreak from turning into a worldwide epidemic, authorities are not taking any chances. Students are also advised to follow the guidelines provided by authorities and ensure that their health insurance includes preventive care so that they get cover for any medical expenditure incurred on vaccination, including possible coronavirus vaccine in near future.
Disclaimer: This blog is based on the personal research of the writer. Readers’ discretion is advised. Neither Student Cover nor the writer of this blog will be held responsible for any wrongful interpretation of the contents of this blog.
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