COVID-19 Control

Programs that attempt to control the occurrence and spread of the virus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in 2019 that causes the respiratory illness COVID-19 and which probably originally emerged from an animal source but now seems to be spreading from person-to-person. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some causing illness in people and others that circulate among animals, including camels, cats and bats. Analysis of the genetic tree of this virus is ongoing to learn the specific source of the virus. SARS, another coronavirus that emerged to infect people, came from civet cats, while MERS (the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), another coronavirus that emerged to infect people, came from camels. Symptoms of the current infection include mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread most often by respiratory droplets. There is no evidence of transmission of the virus associated with imported goods.