By Illinois Radio Network/Cole Lauterbach
SPRINGFIELD – After the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention broadened the parameters for what qualifies as a “person under investigation,” or PUI, over the weekend, one person in the Champaign-Urbana area is suspected of having the coronavirus.
The Champaign County resident is a child, said Dr. Robert Parker, director of the McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois’ Urbana-Champaign campus.
“There was one child identified yesterday that is attached to the community that is now really the first PUI within the catchment area of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health Department,” he said.
The department wouldn’t immediately respond to confirm the information or elaborate on the child’s condition. Parker said the PUI has had the information submitted to the Illinois Department of Public Health, who submitted it to the CDC. The CDC is the only organization able to confirm the presence of the virus, Parker said, as well as designate a PUI for further testing.
The PUI designation doesn’t mean that the child has coronavirus, rather that health officials have determined the person could have it so more testing is being done.
As of last Friday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported two confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, a husband and wife in the Chicago area. The state has a total of 41 PUIs, 13 of whom have tested negative for the virus and another 26 who are still awaiting results.
Parker had personally contacted every Chinese student with a connection to the province where the novel coronavirus is spreading.
At this point, Parker said the influenza virus has proven to be a more pressing issue in the area.
“The influenza virus is far more of concern at this time of the year than the current issue around the novel coronavirus,” he said.
He stressed hand washing, covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing, and general good hygiene being key to fight any virus.
With more than 5,800 Chinese students and the broader parameters, he said only two students had their information forwarded up the chain of command. IDPH determined that neither were thought to have the virus and didn’t forward their information to the CDC.
