As coronavirus spreads, SC health officials to give update on state response plan
South Carolina health officials will brief lawmakers Wednesday on the state’s plan to prepare for and respond to a coronavirus outbreak that so far has impacted 18 countries and provinces, including the United States.
Officials with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control will update lawmakers about the respiratory illness at the State House at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The virus, which has led to some deaths, originated in Wuhan, China and can cause severe lung issues.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded five positive cases of the virus in the United States as of Monday, according to the agency’s website. So far, no positive cases have been reported in South Carolina.
State Health Department officials are currently investigating several reports of what could be the coronavirus, but none of the cases have met the criteria for testing for the disease, DHEC spokesman Chris Delcamp said.
The CDC is still investigating 73 cases.
Initially, health experts suspected the disease was being spread to humans by animals through the animal trade, but more recently, they have said the coronavirus could be spreading from person to person, according to the CDC.
Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath and can appear 14 hours after being exposed to the virus. The disease can cause pneumonia, and has killed 106 people in China, according to reporting from multiple sources.
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 3:22 PM.
