Coronavirus Tracker: What Michigan needs to know now

A new coronavirus is identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in late 2019. (Illustration by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

by Robin Erb (Bridge)

This tracker was last updated Saturday, Feb. 8

• On Saturday, Feb. 8, state health officials confirmed that a traveler to China from Oakland County was hospitalized and being tested for the coronavirus by the CDC. It was unclear when this person traveled to China, or where or how he returned to the U.S. Results are expected in the following week. This person was the fifth suspected case in Michigan, with the four previous people being cleared of having the illness.
• Also Saturday, the death of a U.S. citizen, the first American death in the outbreak, was announced. This person, 60,  died at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, the center of the epidemic, according the U.S. government officials.
• On Wednesday, Feb. 5, state health officials announced that a sick traveler at Detroit Metro Airport would not be tested for coronavirus, after all. The traveler, who a day earlier was sent by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and staff and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to an undisclosed hospital, did not meet the specifications for testing. The specifications include specific symptoms and travel history to China or exposure to someone with confirmed coronavirus illness.
• The deadly new coronavirus — officially called 2019-nCoV — was first identified Dec. 31 after an outbreak of illnesses linked to a fish market in Wuhan, China.
• As with other respiratory illnesses, symptoms range from mild (runny nose, sore throat, cough and fever) to the very serious (pneumonia, breathing difficulties and death), especially for older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions, according to the World Health Organization, or WHO.
• Coronavirus appeared to have arrived in the U.S. in mid-January when the first patient — a 35-year-old man who had visited Wuhan —  was hospitalized in the state of Washington. In all, 11 cases have been confirmed in the U.S. as of Tuesday, Feb. 4.
• U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency on Jan. 31.
• There are now 34,598 confirmed cases worldwide, the lion’s share within China, and 723 death as of Saturday, Feb. 8.
• No cases have been confirmed in Michigan. The state’s health department sent four suspected cases to the CDC for testing in January, but each tested negative for coronavirus.
• On Feb. 3, the state health department activated its Community Health Emergency Coordination Center to respond to coronavirus should it spread to Michigan. Among its first steps: Conference calls to coordinate with local health departments.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.