In response to the outbreak of coronavirus, BW Student Affairs sent out an email addressing the matter. The email stated that the BW community does not have to worry, and the coronavirus is not affecting the campus.

When asked about this, Trina Dobberstein, vice-president for Student Affairs, said, “I think people were comforted to know that we were on top of it. And we were paying attention to it and seeking accurate information. That’s the key accurate information.”

Dobberstein goes on to say that she thinks that in situations such as this; When someone is conscious of a newfound illness, being aware of the correct information, and not panicking are vital elements.  Most students are paying limited attention to outbreak attention. Dobberstein stated this could be because the coronavirus just started they do not think of it a lot. It is not high on the list of priorities for people busy going to class or are working throughout the day.

In truth, BW has little to no history of pandemics affecting the campus in the past. According to Lauren Bara, Nurse Practitioner, Director of Health Services, “I’ve been here 30 thirty years, and we’ve never had any major scare level things happen here in 30 thirty years.”

The lack of significant illness might have to do with the Health Center at BW. There is always a nurse available during the operating hours. There are also constant advertisements for flu shots and other services offered at the Health Center. Bara also thinks that the standard hygiene practices at BW also helps with stopping the spread of illnesses.

As of right now, the risk of BW being affected by the coronavirus is little to none. The outbreak started in China, and as Bara stated, “It’s highly unlikely we’ll have a situation because we don’t have anybody in China that’s coming back to school.” As of Feb. 14, there are fifteen confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States and zero in Ohio.

The coronavirus is similar to the flu in how it presents itself. The coronavirus is reported to affect respiratory, and those inflicted have mild to severe symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. While some people have died from the coronavirus, most people get a flu-like illness and then get better. Bara states that while the number of deaths seems large more people die from the basic flu, and the number is more stressed for the fact that this is a new virus.

Information about the coronavirus is continuously changing, as this is a new virus that has not been seen before. On Feb. 11, the World Health Organization announced that COVID-19 is the official name for the coronavirus.

As of right now, there is no vaccine for the illness, as this is a new virus. The coronavirus is spread from person-to-person though it is not known how easily this happens yet. The most important thing for people to remember is to keep the spreading of germs to a minimum. Cover your mouth, wash your hands, don’t touch surfaces, especially if you don’t know if they are clean and avoid touching one’s face with unwashed hands in this flu season.