St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood said Friday afternoon that a person who had recently traveled to China and came down with a respiratory illness is being isolated in case the infection is a new coronavirus spreading in that country.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment confirmed the person had recently traveled to Wuhan, where the new virus was first identified and most cases have occurred. It will be several days before tests can confirm if the patient has the coronavirus, spokeswoman Deanna Herbert said.

The new virus causes similar symptoms to a seasonal flu.

The hospital took all precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Herbert said.

“The health risk to the general public is still considered low,” she said.

Gianna Lisac, spokeswoman for St. Anthony, said the person is wearing a mask and staying in an isolation room out of an “abundance of caution.” The hospital is working with the CDPHE on next steps, she said.

More than 1,000 cases of the new virus have been identified, with the vast majority in China. Two cases have been identified in the United States, and both were in people who had recently traveled to Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak began, according to The New York Times. Chinese authorities have confirmed 41 deaths, mostly in older people, who are more susceptible to most respiratory diseases.

It’s not clear how lethal the virus may be, because people with less severe cases may not have sought treatment, and Chinese authorities may not have correctly identified all cases in the early stages of the outbreak.

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