On Wednesday, March 11, The Comenian spoke with Stephanie Dillman, a registered nurse who is the coordinator of the Health Center at Moravian College, to get her perspective on the coronavirus.

Dillman was both factual and reassuring. “The unknowns and the media hype are scaring people,” Dillman stated. “But in reality, there have been more deaths and illness from the flu this season.”

Dillman explained that the key to keeping the spread of coronavirus at bay is prevention. This entails things we would do with any other illness or disease prevention such as:

– Washing your hands often with alcohol-based sanitizers if soap and water is not available for at least 20 seconds

– Staying home if you are sick or feeling unwell

– Staying away from those who are sick or feeling unwell

– Clean frequently used items/surfaces like door handles, table surfaces, remotes, etc.

– Not reusing tissues and disposing of them in trash bins

Some of the signs and symptoms of the coronavirus are fever, cough, and shortness of breath. These signs and symptoms are very similar to that of the flu or common cold. They can range in severity depending on your age and current health status.

Dillman also explained that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is beginning to allow more testing for the coronavirus at places like emergency rooms and general practitioners. 

In the Lehigh Valley, both the Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) and St. Luke’s Health Network are staffing hotlines patients can call to determine if they may have coronavirus and to learn what to do — and where to go — for testing.

Screenings can be done by phone or by video-conferencing app at LVHN, which has opened eight testing centers.  

This will likely cause the number of diagnosed cases to increase, Dillman said, but that can actually be a good thing, because it means we have better diagnosis procedures, which leads to a better awareness of the virus.

Essentially, the number of diagnosed cases of coronavirus will increase, but that is a testament to a better understanding of the virus.

We need to reduce the amount of unknowns.