Urbana University officials to share information regarding coronavirus with students

A student at Urbana University walks past the arches on one of the residence hall as she makes her way across campus Monday, March 26, 2018. Bill Lackey/Staff

A student at Urbana University walks past the arches on one of the residence hall as she makes her way across campus Monday, March 26, 2018. Bill Lackey/Staff

Officials with Urbana University are working with local and state health officials in an effort to share information regarding the coronavirus with the campus community after receiving reports of two possible cases of the virus at another college campus in Ohio.

It was reported by this organization that two possible cases of the coronavirus were being tested at the Miami University Oxford campus in Butler County.

Officials there said a student who recently returned from China, the source of the outbreak, exhibited what was described as very mild symptoms consistent with the virus, according to the News-Sun. It was also reported that tests were to be performed for the student and their travelling partner by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and that officials stressed the situation is low risk.

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At Urbana University, officials have not received any indication of anyone showing signs of the virus there as of Tuesday afternoon, said Sherry Mercurio, the Executive Director for the Office of Community Relations at the university.

Mercurio said they are currently working with health professionals from the Ohio Department of Health as well as individuals from Champaign County in order to share accurate information about the virus with the campus community.

She said the goal is to be able to provide links to those sources later this week as well as information that differentiates symptoms associated with cold and flu season with those associated with coronavirus.

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Those with Urbana University are also looking at their student base to determine if anyone has traveled out of the country recently or during the period of the initial outbreak of the virus, which was first reported in December in the Hubei Province of China.

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Though the News-Sun was not able to get an exact number of international students who attend Urbana University, Mercurio said they do have a small population of those students who do travel out of the county during their breaks.

However, she said students would have been back to campus by the first weekend of January due to the university’s academic schedule. Urbana University currently has a total enrollment of 547 students, with 338 being residential and 126 being commuters.

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The News-Sun reported that officials in Butler County said unless someone has recently traveled from China or been near someone ill with the new virus, their risk of having it is low.