The coronavirus may have made its way to Southern Nevada.

A resident of the area is in isolation and is being tested for the virus that has spread to over 6,000 people worldwide, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.

“While this novel coronavirus may be causing concern, it’s important to remember that there are only five confirmed cases in the United States and all of those cases had travelled to Wuhan, China,” Ihsan Assam, chief medical officer for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement. “Currently, this virus is not spreading in the United States.”

The virus has been confirmed to be in Arizona, California, Illinois and Washington, according to a statement from the Utah Department of Health (UDOH). While the cases in the U.S. have been contained, there have been indications of person-to-person spreading happening in China.

Utah has no confirmed cases of the virus, although the health department is actively monitoring the situation, according to the release. Potential cases in the state have been investigated, but none have been confirmed. The department said the public will be alerted if a case is confirmed.

"The UDOH is providing information to local health departments and healthcare providers across the state on how to safely and effectively evaluate ill people who have been to China," UDOH state epidemiologist Angela Dunn said in the release. "UDOH will continue to monitor the situation, provide guidance and investigation support so partners across Utah can safely identify and respond to potential cases."

The risk of getting the virus is low in Utah now, but the department released measures to lessen the “emerging public health threat.”

Avoid non-essential travel to China.

Avoid travel while sick.

Avoid contact with sick people.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze.

Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds often.

Older travels or those with health issues may be at risk for more severe disease. Take extra caution when traveling.

If individuals have traveled to China, particularly Wuhan or the Hubei Province, the department says to seek medical care immediately if they feel sick with a fever, cough or have difficulty breathing.

Spreading from China

Hundreds of people in China have been diagnosed with the virus in the past few weeks. Most of the cases were reported in the central city of Wuhan. It spread to other areas of the country, and a handful of cases have been diagnosed in Thailand, South Korea and Japan.

The World Health Organization is gathering a panel of experts on coronavirus Wednesday in Geneva to determine whether the outbreak constitutes an international public health emergency and how it can be managed.

Many of the initial cases were linked to a seafood market in Wuhan. Chinese health officials said this week that human-to-human transmission has been confirmed.

WHO has published a range of interim guidance for all countries on how they can prepare for the virus, including how to monitor for sick people, test samples, treat patients and communicate risks to the public.

The disease is drawing intense attention because of its similarities to severe acute respiratory syndrome, a coronavirus that killed more than 600 people across mainland China and Hong Kong along with more than 100 other people around the world in 2002-2003.

What is coronavirus? What are the symptoms?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as pneumonia to Middle East respiratory syndrome, known as MERS, and severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. Common signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and death.

Lexi Peery is the environment, politics and development reporter for The Spectrum & Daily News, a USA TODAY Network newsroom based in southern Utah. You can reach her at lpeery@thespectrum.com and follow her on Twitter @LexiFP.