COLUMBUS – Two Miami University students have been isolated and are being observed to see if they have contracted the coronavirus, which has resulted in more than 100 deaths in China.
A student reported mild symptoms of the Novel Coronavirus at the Student Health Services at the university’s Oxford campus Monday morning, according to a statement on the university’s website.
Considering the student’s recent travel and the symptoms, health officials tested them for possible infection. The university says results should be back from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a few days and the student and his traveling companion are isolated in their off-campus residence in the meantime.
The university and healthcare providers are in daily communication with the Butler County Health District and the Ohio Department of Health.
“We are on it, we stand prepared, we’ve been working closely with the CDC for a couple of weeks now, since the first case,” Health Department director Dr. Amy Acton said.
&University officials say anyone who is experiencing symptoms and has traveled to the impacted area should call Student Health Services at 513-529-3000.
The university has set up a call center to address general questions or concerns at 513-529-9000.
The United States and several other nations are preparing to airlift citizens out of a Chinese city at the center of the outbreak, that has killed more than 100 people.
Hong Kong’s leader says it will cut all rail links to mainland China and halve the number of flights, as authorities in China and overseas sought to stem the spread of the new virus, which has infected more than 4,500 people.
The U.S. government chartered a plane to fly out diplomats from the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, where the outbreak started, and other Americans.
China has cut off access to Wuhan and 16 other cities to prevent people from leaving and spreading the virus further.