Coronavirus originated in a city called Wuhan in the Hubei Province in China and cases are now reported to be in many countries around the world including the UK and Australia.
For those unaware of the severity of the outbreak, this strand of the coronavirus is a new illness that affects the respiratory system and it hasn’t been seen in humans before. Therefore, organisations such as the World Health Organisation have been taking some precautions because this strand had not been discovered prior to now. It is also known to health professionals as 2019-nCoV.
According to the NHS website, the symptoms of the coronavirus are as follows:
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A cough
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A high temperature
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Feeling short of breath
Coronavirus is unknown in terms of the way it spreads from individual to individual, however, the NHS have stated on their website that the risk of catching the coronavirus in the UK is low.
Robert Gordon University delivered an email to all students concerning the coronavirus outbreak. This email was sent out to RGU students on behalf of the Director of Student Life, Filippo Antoniazzi. He listed the following health advice to tackle the coronavirus:
These pieces of advice are also available on the NHS website and applies to those who have travelled to the UK from Wuhan or Hubei Province in the last 14 days. People who travelled from Wuhan are advised to follow this advice even if they do not have any of the symptoms of the coronavirus. They also apply to those who have travelled from elsewhere in China (apart from Macao and Hong Kong) to the UK in the last 14 days and if they develop symptoms as listed above. People who travelled from anywhere in China except Macao and Hong Kong are advised to follow this advice even if their symptoms are minor.
Antoniazzi also wrote in the well-distributed email that further guidance can be found on the UK government’s website.
He stated that if any students are unsure about what action you should take, he advised students to contact the Student Help Point on helppoint@rgu.ac.uk or call 01224 262182.