LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced Monday its decision to open a community health center to assist the multiple public health jurisdictions working to prevent the coronavirus in Michigan, MDHHS said in a press release.
"We recognize the potential threat associated with this virus and we are working to identify any suspect cases in Michigan along with our local health partners," said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, MDHHS Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy for Health.
There have been four cases in Michigan investigated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). They have all come back negative. There were three possible cases from Washtenaw County and one from Macomb County.
The Community Health and Emergency Coordination Center will develop and distribute guidelines and educational materials concerning the Chinese-bred virus to public health agencies and healthcare providers throughout Michigan as they're needed.
To date, the virus has infected more than 20,000 people in China and has taken the lives of 425. The first death outside of the country was reported Sunday: a 44-year-old man in the Philippines. He traveled from Wuhan, China, where the disease's outbreak started.
11 people have tested positive for the virus in the U.S.; however, no one has died, according to the CDC. The first U.S. man to report being infected with the illness has since been released from the hospital and is feeling better, according to the Associated Press.
Due to how quickly the respiratory illness is spreading, and the threat of person-to-person contact, the World Health Organization declared it a public health emergency in the U.S.
In response to the threat of the virus, President Trump has also banned foreign nationals from entering the U.S. if they are traveling from China. Any U.S. citizen traveling home from China will be diverted to one of 11 airports across the nation to be checked for the virus and potentially quarantined for 14 days. The Detroit Metropolitan Airport is one of the 11.
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