On all outlets of media, you are bound to hear some utterances about the latest epidemic, the Coronavirus. This virus, which began in China, has left the world fearful and panicked.

“Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases, such as MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Coronaviruses are transmitted between animals and people. The new strain is called 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease (novel coronavirus), and it had not previously been identified in humans,” according to  The Mayo Clinic.  

The main concern with this new strain of the virus is the lack of  knowledge. As result, many medical professionals are left scrambling to create a vaccine in order to lower the death rate of this new illness. In China, according to the World Health Organization, there has been 37,251 confirmed cases and 812 deaths attributed to the virus.  

Multitudes of people are extremely concerned about this virus because of how common the symptoms are. The symptoms of Coronavirus include, “Respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death,” the common symptoms are very similar to the common cold; leaving many paranoid that they can catch it.  

In actuality, the chances of catching this illness is pretty much slim to none. However, washing your hands, avoiding touching your eyes or mouth, and coughing or sneezing into your arm, are all ways to prevent you from catching the virus, along with just the simple cold.  

Eventually, this will be resolved with research and until a vaccine is made, everyone should try to stay safe.