OMHA, Neb. (KMTV) — There’s an update on efforts in Nebraska to deal with a deadly virus from China.
The University of Nebraska at Lincoln Health Center is now preparing to screen for the coronavirus.
Doctors worry some students may wait to get medical attention since the symptoms including fever and shortness of breath are like other viruses such as the flu or the common cold.
The coronavirus is now blamed for at least 132 deaths and making more than 6,000 people sick including some in the United States.
"I think it's definitely been a little bit of a concern. I think that the UNL Health Center especially is doing things to prepare for it is good,” said student Alexa Beckman. “It's better to be proactive than to have it come spread in a place like this because it can be really dangerous if it does."
"If it were to hit, I would put it up there in terms of the equivalent to a bad influenza season,” said state epidemiologist Tom Safranek. “We could have a double whammy where we have had one influenza season already."
The UNL Education Abroad Office plans to contact students planning to study in China during the spring semester to talk about options.
Faculty with travel questions should contact UNL’s Office of Global Safety and Security.
