What is a Coronavirus?
A coronavirus is a virus that is found in animals and, rarely, can be transmitted from animals to humans and then spread person to person. In addition to COVID-19, other human corona-viruses have included:

The MERS virus, or Middle East respiratory syndrome.
The SARS virus, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, which first occurred in the Guangdong province in southern China.

What are the symptoms of a coronavirus?
COVID-19 symptoms range from mild to severe. It takes 2-14 days after exposure for symptoms to develop. Symptoms may include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

How can I help protect myself?

Wash Your Hands: Wet your hands with clean running water, apply soap, lather your hands including the backs between your fingers and under your nails. Scrub for at least 20 seconds and then Rinse.

Cover your Mouth and Nose with a tissue when you Cough or Sneeze, then throw the tissue in a bin and wash your hands. If you don’t have a tissue cough or sneeze into your elbow rather than your hands.

Face masks offer some protection as they block liquid droplets. However, they do not block smaller aerosal particles that can pass through the material of the mask.

Seek early medical help by phone if you have a fever, cough and difficulty in breathing, and share your travel history with Health Care Providers.

If you have returned from an effected areas such as China, Iran, Italy and South Korea in the last two weeks, stay indoors and avoid contact with other people for 14 days. This means not going to work, school or public areas.

If you have returned from an infected area and develop a high temperature, cough, runny nose, sore throat or difficulty in breathing do not leave your home until you have been given advice by a doctor.