Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health are holding a summit with local health officials to discuss coronavirus preparedness. This comes as the state is monitoring 212 recent travelers for possible symptoms of COVID-19 and one person is under investigation for the possible illness.

Globally the novel coronavirus has infected tens of thousands of people and has killed more than 3,000. In the U.S. as of March 5, 11 people have died, 10 of those cases are in Washington State and one in California. Los Angeles County has declared a local health emergency.

Most cases of the virus will be mild, according to health officials but its spread in the U.S. is considered inevitable. To discuss our region's preparedness for any potential cases we are joined on Cincinnati Edition by Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown; Ohio Governor Mike DeWine; Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton, MD; Hamilton County Public Health Interim Health Commissioner Director Greg Kesterman; UC Health Emergency Management Medical Director and Emergency Medicine Associate Professor Dustin Calhoun, MD; and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Center for Health-Related Aerosol Studies Director and Environmental Health Professor Sergey Grinshpun, Ph.D.

The Ohio Department of Health has set up a website with information on the coronavirus.

Listen to Cincinnati Edition live at noon M-F. Audio for this segment will be uploaded after 4 p.m. ET.

Never miss an episode by subscribing to our podcast: