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Coronavirus Outbreak: Awareness is Key
The Coronavirus outbreak has impacted thousands of individuals, mainly in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China, where it was originally reported at the end of last year. Reports of confirmed cases outside of China are increasingly being identified.
What is 2019 novel coronavirus
(2019-nCoV)?
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARSCoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.
What are the symptoms of 2019-nCoV?
Common signs of infection include:
- Respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties
- In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, we recommend that you speak with a clinician as soon as possible.
How dangerous is 2019-nCoV?
As with other respiratory illnesses, infection with 2019-nCoV can cause mild symptoms including a runny nose, sore throat, cough, and fever. It can be more severe for some persons and can lead to pneumonia or breathing difficulties. More rarely, the disease can be fatal. Older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as, diabetes and heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus.
Is there a vaccine?
To date, there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat the novel coronavirus.
Source: World Health Organization
Learn more about the coronavirus outbreak and the services that that may be available to you under your health plan.
Other helpful resources:
For more information on the novel coronavirus and to learn what you can do to protect yourself, we recommend visiting the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites.
More health and wellness articles can be found on the Member Hub on www.geo-blue.com. Register or login and visit “Global EAP” in the “Wellness” section to learn more about living and working abroad.
Accessing Healthcare Inside the U.S.
It’s not always easy to know where to find care, especially when you are far away from home. To find a doctor or facility and compare the cost of a specific medical treatment or service, click on the “Find Doctors and Hospitals Inside the U.S.” section in the Member Hub on www.geo-blue.com or in the GeoBlue app.
View our Healthcare in the U.S. quick guide to learn more about medical care options, common practices in the U.S., what to do in an emergency, paying for care in the U.S. and more.
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Quick Tip: Pharmacy Services
Your ID card may or may not list a Processor Control Number (PCN). In the event the pharmacy requests this information from you, please use PDMI as the PCN. Learn more about retail pharmacy and mail order prescription benefits.
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