TriHealth Table Talk: Coronavirus

The outbreak of respiratory illness caused by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), first reported in Wuhan, China, is receiving a lot of attention from media, health professionals and concerned patients. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports only six confirmed cases in the U.S. as of January 31, 2020, it’s still appropriate for the public and health care providers to pay attention due to the severity of the symptoms associated with the original outbreak, according to Stephen Blatt, MD, Director for Infectious Diseases with TriHealth Physician Partners and Stephen Cleves, MD, TriHealth’s System Chief for Primary Care.

Drs. Blatt and Cleves discussed the outbreak of the new coronavirus and the concern surrounding it during a recent segment of TriHealth Table Talk. They provided information about what exactly a coronavirus is and how the current outbreak compares to other widely-known coronavirus outbreaks in recent years such as MERS and SARS. They discussed symptoms and risks of the current outbreak and other topics such as:

• Comparison to the common cold, which can also be caused by a coronavirus
• Why some viruses only cause a cold while others can lead to pneumonia
• Who is at the greatest risk, and which other underlying medical conditions can increase that risk? What about expectant mothers?
• Why influenza is still a greater concern in the U.S. and the best ways to prevent it
• Stopping the spread of coronavirus – can face masks help? What is the latest on a vaccination? What else can people do?
• Concerns surrounding the coronavirus and international travel

This video was first broadcast January 27 via Facebook Live. Follow our Facebook page for more videos and health information.