On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked Americans to avoid unnecessary travel to South Korea amid growing concerns about the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that originated from China.
The CDC released a notice Monday evening, urging travelers to “avoid all nonessential travel to South Korea,” as there is limited access to healthcare services in regions where the outbreak has been reported.
“A novel coronavirus is causing an outbreak of respiratory illness (COVID-19) in South Korea,” the CDC notice read.
“Illness with this virus has ranged from mild to severe. Signs and symptoms of infection include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Sore throat also has been reported in some patients. Some patients also have reported diarrhea without other symptoms,” it added.
The CDC also stated, “This new coronavirus has caused severe disease and death in patients who developed pneumonia. Risk factors for severe illness are not yet clear, although older adults and those with chronic medical conditions may be at higher risk for severe illness.”
Globally, the virus has affected 80,150 and killed 2,701 people so far, with the vast majority of the cases reported in China.
In South Korea, the coronavirus, aka COVID-19, sickened 893 and killed 9 people so far.
U.S. public health officials have urged people to stay away from traveling to the affected regions. They also instituted medical screenings at several major airports as a few cases have been reported in the U.S., with no deaths. So far, the U.S. reported 53 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The CDC has also asked people to avoid traveling to China and urged travelers to Italy, Japan, and Iran to exercise safety precautions. The State Department has made its travel advisory strict for China in order to prevent the spread of the virus in the country.
