Tennessee college student being tested for coronavirus. Here’s what you need to know.

A Tennessee Tech student in Cookeville is currently being tested for a coronavirus infection. The student is under isolation after health providers quickly realized they met the criteria for the virus due to “very mild symptoms” and their recent travel history. Precautionary testing is being conducted, but the illness is not confirmed as of yet. Health providers at the Cookeville Regional Medical Center are in close contact with the Tennessee Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control.

A Tennessee Tech representative states, “The Tennessee Department of Health advises that while we await the results, there are no specific actions other individuals need to take.” While there is no immediate action that needs to be taken, officials do say to contact your healthcare provider if you have any concerns or experience any of the following symptoms:

• fever
• cough
• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure, or close contact with an infected person. The CDC defines “close contact” as “being within about 6 feet or within the room or care area” of a person with the coronavirus for a prolonged period without appropriate protective clothing or having direct contact with infectious secretions of a person with the virus without protective clothing.”

The respiratory illness caused by coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, and is being closely monitored by the CDC as it continues to spread. So far, there have been 830 cases and 25 deaths in China.

Tuesday, the first known case in the United States was confirmed in a patient in Washington state, after returning from Wuhan on January 15th. Currently the possible cases lie in Tennessee, California, and Texas, with confirmed cases in Washington and Chicago.