Health Resources: Update on Coronavirus
January 23, 2020
Dear Cornell Community,
As the new Assistant Vice President of Student and Campus Life for Health and Wellbeing, I am excited to be starting the new year as part of the Cornell community. I look forward to supporting and collaborating with many of you in my role at Cornell Health.
Cornell Health has a wealth of resources to promote our community’s health and wellbeing year-round, including during the winter months when some illnesses tend to spike. As you may be aware, there is currently an emerging public health situation related to a novel strain of coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, that originated in Wuhan, China. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed one case of the virus in Washington state involving an individual who had recently traveled to Wuhan. While we do not believe that there is any risk to our campus at this time, Cornell Health is proactively working closely with campus partners, as well as local and state resources, to monitor the situation and to protect the health and wellbeing of the Cornell community.
Symptoms related to this coronavirus strain include fever (above 100.4 F), a cough or shortness of breath. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia and other complications. We encourage any student with questions or concerns to contact Cornell Health directly at 607-255-5155; faculty and staff are encouraged to reach out to their primary care provider with questions about their health.
You can also visit Cornell Health’s FAQ for more information about the virus and support at Cornell Health. This information will be updated as we learn more.
Additional information about public health guidelines related to the virus can be found:
- World Health Organization (WHO) information about Coronavirus
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Situation Summary
- NYC Health information about Coronavirus
Sincerely,
Sharon McMullen
Assistant Vice President of Student & Campus Life for Health and Wellbeing
P.S. Remember, this is flu season. There’s still time to get your flu vaccine!