Experts recommend that people who have been to Wuhan, China, recently, get checked—even if they don’t think they’re infected with Coronavirus. They say there’s no need to panic.
“The virus has a two-week incubation period, so even if the patient has been to Wuhan, they may be asymptomatic within two weeks. If you have been to Wuhan and are now in the United States, I suggest you contact your doctor, even if you do not have any symptoms yet,” Dr. Brian Lee, Medical Director in the emergency department at St. Joseph’s Hospital, said.
Lee says if you think you could have been infected, you should cover your nose and eyes, to avoid spreading the virus.
“If you have symptoms and have been to Wuhan in the past two weeks, we want you to wear a mask when you come to the hospital, make sure your hands are clean, and inform the medical staff immediately that you have been to Wuhan,” Lee said. “We do check the travel history of all patients, but if you can tell us right away, we can take immediate quarantine measures to avoid spreading the virus to others.”
U.S. health officials stressed the importance of checking yourself for infection if you only think there might be a chance.