CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As of Monday, March 2, there have been no reported cases of coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, and only 11 cases in the state of Texas.
If you were to map out the coronavirus worldwide, the smallest clusters appear in the U.S. where the number of patients remains a small fraction of those diagnosed overseas. Most states have not had any confirmed cases.
You can view an interactive map of coronavirus cases here: This interactive map shows all reported coronavirus cases in the world
Rumors continued coming into the newsroom Monday night of possible cases at Christus Spohn Shoreline Hospital. 3News spoke to officials at Spohn as well as County health officials and were told that there are no cases of COVID-19 at the hospital.
3News is checking with health officials daily and if anything changes, we will keep you updated.
While the rate of infection in the U.S. is low, you should be aware of the symptoms of the virus. Those include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The incubation period is anywhere from 2-14 days after exposure to the virus, and during that time it can be spread from person to person.
Area health authorities encourage anyone with a high risk of exposure to the disease to contact the Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District at 361-826-7200 before visiting a doctor's office. You only fall under the category of being at "high risk of exposure" if you have direct contact with a person who has symptomatic laboratory confirmed COVID-19 or if you have traveled from Hubei Province, China.
In the meantime, the World Health Organization is busting some common myths about the coronavirus.
First, are hand dryers an effective way to kill the new coronavirus? The answer is no. The WHO says you should definitely wash your hands in an alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. The hand dryer won't prevent you from getting sick.
Another common concern is, it safe to get mail from China? They say yes. Research is showing the coronavirus does not survive for long on objects like letters or packages.
Then, can eating garlic help prevent you from getting the coronavirus? According to the WHO, garlic might kill or stop the growth of some germs, but there's no evidence that it can protect people from the current coronavirus outbreak.
The WHO says the U.S. is partially reliant on China for the raw ingredients that go into roughly 370 drugs and antibiotics that are sold in the U.S. and are called "essential." Three drugs at high risk of running short in the U.S. are popular antibiotics which include penicillin.
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