China has identified a new strain of coronavirus that has led to at least 17 deaths and hundreds of others falling ill. The first cases appeared in the industrial and transporation hub of Wuhan, in central China.
An official at Missouri State University, which has hundreds of Chinese students, says there haven’t been any reported cases at MSU yet.
Jim Baker oversees the China Programs at Missouri State University. He said the university is keeping a close eye on students, and if a student goes to the campus health center with symptoms of the virus, they might need further testing.
“What we’re looking at primarily is, we’re monitoring if our students have been to any of these areas where they might get infected, if they have relatives or parents who are visiting for, say, graduation or something like that, we need to know where they are coming from,” Baker says.
Baker also oversees the MSU unit that KSMU falls under.
In a press release issued Wednesday, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said there are no reported cases of this particular strain of coronavirus in Missouri yet.