Amid possible Philly coronavirus case, health officials say no signs of it in Delaware

Delaware health officials say there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state, and no patients have met the criteria to test for the illness. 

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is investigating whether a William Penn Charter School exchange student from China might be infected with the virus, 6ABC reported Monday. The charter school is located in Philadelphia. 

The student was part of a group of teens who were on a connecting flight out of Wuhan City, where the outbreak began, before arriving in the United States earlier this month, the news station reported.

In China, more than 80 people have died and about 3,000 people have been infected with the virus. There have been no reports of deaths from the virus outside China. 

Customs and Border Protection have enhanced health screenings at several airports in order to identify travelers sickened by coronavirus coming into the United States from Wuhan.

Coronaviruses are among a group of viruses that can cause sickness ranging from the common cold to pneumonia, and even Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. 

Signs of infection can include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In serious cases, it can lead to pneumonia, kidney failure and death.   

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The virus can be spread by coughing, sneezing and close contact with an infected person. It can also be spread from an animal to a person. There is currently no vaccine. 

Five cases of the virus have been confirmed in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These cases occurred in Arizona, California, Illinois and Washington. 

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Jennifer Brestel, a spokeswoman for Delaware's Division of Public Health, said health officials are "holding frequent internal calls to ensure constant communication across DPH and have provided health care and EMS providers with the most recent CDC guidance."

The division has also followed up with health care providers and patients who have questions and concerns. 

Contact Meredith Newman at 302-324-2386 or mnewman@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @MereNewman.