Coronavirus Guide: Information for MCCC Students, Faculty, & Staff

• A coronavirus is a type of virus that is found in animals.
• It is not common for humans to be infected by a coronavirus.
• The current type of coronavirus being covered by the news is called COVID-19 and started in Wuhan, China in December 2019.
• There have been other human outbreaks of coronaviruses in the past:
  • SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
  • MERS, or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome​

The following myths, and many more, can be found at the World Health Organization's Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: Myth busters webpage.

Stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the WHO website and through your national and local public health authority. Here is a link to their information:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

The CDC has several websites with information regarding influenza prevention and treatment.

• Seasonal Influenza website offers information for schools, businesses, and travelers. There is also a Communication Resource Center with free resources.
• The Pandemic Influenza pages of CDC's website provide in-depth information on preparing for a global outbreak of a new influenza A virus, including basic definitions and planning and preparedness resources.
• The regularly-updated Twitter feed of the CDC's Center for Preparedness and Response

As an emerging, rapidly evolving situation, the CDC will provide updated information via the link below as it becomes available, in addition to updated guidance.

The American Library Association has a website to guide preparations for a pandemic.

The CDC has produced videos providing detailed information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here is the link to them:  

In response to the outbreak, Imperial College London has put together a free course (offered through Coursera) called "Science Matters: Let's Talk About COVID-19." The course will teach you the "science underpinning the novel Coronavirus outbreak," so that you can understand "how the spread of the epidemic is modelled, how transmissibility of infections is estimated, what the challenges are in estimating the case fatality ratio, and also ... the importance of community involvement in responding to the epidemic." You can get started with this course right now.

Alternatively you can sign up for COVID-19: Tackling the Novel Coronavirus. Created by FutureLearn and The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, this course looks at "how COVID-19 emerged, was identified and spreads, the public health measures for the virus worldwide, and what is needed to address COVID-19 and prevent it [from] spreading." Although the course is now open for enrollment, it won't officially start until March 22.

Information for Parents

The Nemours KidsHealth website has information for parents worried about the coronavirus.