State health officials are waiting to learn whether two Oklahomans who recently traveled to China are infected with coronavirus.
"Both of the samples from these two individuals has been forwarded to CDC in Atlanta, and we are awaiting results," State Commissioner of Health Gary Cox said at a Wednesday morning news conference. "We expect to have those sometime in the next 24 to 36 hours."
State Epidemiologist Laurence Burnsed said if the cases are confirmed, the typical Oklahoman's risk of infection is very low because coronavirus is not airborne like the measles virus.
"With something like novel coronavirus, what we’re seeing here is that it really is limited to closer contacts, more extensive amount of time in person with the individuals. And so, just walking through a general public space would not necessarily put a person at a higher risk," Burnsed said.
There have been five confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. To put that in perspective, more than 1,000 Oklahomans have been hospitalized with flu since Sept. 1, and 21 have died.
Cox said he wants to assemble a multi-agency team to plan and coordinate a response to an outbreak, as unlikely as that may be.
"We always want to plan for an event like that, and then, of course, we hope that it never happens here in Oklahoma. But preparation is the key, planning’s the key, and we want to get a broad group of stakeholders together to think through different situations and scenarios," Cox said.
The coronavirus outbreak started in Wuhan, China. Thousands of people there have been infected.
The virus causes cold- and flu-like symptoms. People who develop such symptoms and have recently traveled to China or been in contact with someone who has should seek medical attention.
