CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For weeks, maybe, it seemed that if we ignored the COVID-19 coronavirus, it would go away. China seemed far, and no one here was wearing masks.

But now the novel disease and its flu-like symptoms have spread through Europe. And the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says outbreaks here are inevitable. So we all have to figure out the best way to cope with a virus that has no vaccine and no medications approved to treat it.

The CDC warns that public health and healthcare systems may become overloaded, with high rates of hospitalizations and deaths. Schools, workplaces, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and transportation industry will also likely be strained.

The markets are rattled, and even the latest Apple iPhone may be delayed by what is on its way to becoming a global pandemic. President Trump plans to hold a news conference today about the disease.

So if you’re just starting to worry about the coronavirus, here’s what you need to know.

How scared should I be?

A recent paper from the Chinese Centers of Disease Control and Prevention analyzed more than 70,000 cases of the coronavirus in China and showed that about 81% of cases were mild.

Most people wouldn’t need to go to the hospital or ER. Rather, they’d need medicine for fever, like Tylenol, and plenty of fluids.

The coronavirus fatality rate is between 2% and 4% in Wuhan, and 0.7% outside Wuhan, according to the World Health Organization. For people with mild disease, recovery time is about two weeks, while people with a severe form of the disease usually recover within three to six weeks.

Read more here.

In this Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, photo, a doctor in a protective suit checks with patients at a temporary hospital at Tazihu Gymnasium in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province. China's leadership sounded a cautious note Friday about the country's progress in halting the spread of the new virus that has now killed more than 2,200 people, after several days of upbeat messages. (Chinatopix via AP)AP

How does the coronavirus compare the flu? A common cold?

A case of the coronavirus sweeping China could be mild, severe or end in death, according to the CDC. The same can be said of the flu.

The coronavirus appears to spread similarly to the flu, through droplets when someone coughs or sneezes. It shares similar symptoms, like fever and cough. The most common symptoms at onset of illness were fever, fatigue, dry cough, muscle pain and difficulty breathing. Less common symptoms were headache, dizziness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.

With the flu, symptoms appear faster, usually between one and four days. Meanwhile, it can takes between two days and two weeks for symptoms of the coronavirus to appear after you’ve been exposed.

Read more here.

Paul Buescher's stockpile pantry includes dehydrated and canned food products that can last for years. (Photo courtesy of Paul Buescher)

What should I stock up on?

If the coronavirus spread keeps you home and away from crowds, emergency preparedness groups recommend keeping two weeks of food on hand, plus basic hygiene supplies, like antibacterial soap and, in the event that you’re unable to wash your hands, hand sanitizer with a high alcohol content.

Make sure you have a supply of prescription medications, plus a basic first-aid kit and over-the-counter medicines, toilet paper, tissues, disinfecting wipes, feminine hygiene products and batteries.

Read more here.

A woman wearing a sanitary mask talks on the phone in downtown Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. At least 190 people in Italy’s north have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and four people have died, including an 84-year-old man who died overnight in Bergamo, the Lombardy regional government reported. (Claudio Furlan/Lapresse via AP)AP

Should I buy a mask?

The CDC doesn’t recommend that Americans buy face masks or respirators to protect themselves against the COVID-19 coronavirus because it wants them to be available for healthcare professionals. That hasn’t stopped Americans from stocking up on face masks and N-95 respirators, which filter out 95 percent of very small particles.

Read more here.

Jay Butler, Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases addresses the media about response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirusas at the Emergency Operations Center inside The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (John Amis/AP)AP

How is the U.S. preparing?

How health officials would respond to community spread in the U.S. would heavily depend on the location and severity of the outbreak. Coronavirus could severely disrupt daily life.

Many precautions could include closing schools or businesses and replacing face-to-face contact with meetings over the Internet. Large-scale events could be canceled, like in Italy, where Venice’s Carnival ended two days early.

Read more here.

A group of ambulances from the Solano EMS Cooperative stage at the visitor center at Travis Air Force Base, adjacent to Fairfield, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. A group of Americans cut short a 14-day quarantine on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in the port of Yokohama, near Tokyo, to be whisked back to America. But they will have to spend another quarantine period at U.S. military facilities including Travis to make sure they don't have the new virus that's been sweeping across Asia. (AP Photo/Hector Amezcua)AP

What would a quarantine look like here?

In Northeast Ohio, a confirmed case of coronavirus could also lead to isolation or quarantine procedures, but they may not bear much resemblance to those in China or even California, where 195 people evacuated from mainland China were held for two weeks on a military base.

Local public health officials would rely on CDC guidelines, which recommend monitoring an infected person at their home or keeping them isolated in a healthcare facility. That might just mean staying home and bingeing on Netflix or Hulu.

Read more here.

FILE - In this Feb. 17, 2020, file photo, commuters ride in a quiet subway train during the morning rush hour in Beijing. As many Chinese finally go back to work after their longest Lunar New Year holiday ever, the economic fallout from the outbreak of a new coronavirus that began in Wuhan may be just beginning. Companies are warning their bottom lines will take a hit, and governments are ramping up stimulus measures for economies that just weeks ago were hoping to see recoveries after months of uncertainty due to trade tensions and slowing global growth. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)AP

How should employers prepare?

Health officials recommend people practice the same basic precautions you hear every flu season to avoid coronavirus: Wash your hands, avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth.

If there was a coronavirus outbreak at your workplace, the CDC and the health department would work to track who the employee had been in contact with, and vet the risk of exposure. Those agencies would provide guidance about who would need to go into quarantine or stay home.

Read more here.

People wearing protective face masks, walk on a street in the Central, the business district of Hong Kong, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. China's daily death toll from new virus has topped 100 for first time, with more than 1,000 total deaths recorded, the health ministry announced Tuesday, as the spread of the contagion shows little sign of abating while exacting an ever-rising cost.Kin Cheung | AP Photo

Has business already been affected?

The impact of the coronavirus on Northeast Ohio businesses that rely on China for supplies or finished products is not as great as some people might expect because many businesses customarily stock extra inventory early in the year in anticipation of the down time that always occurs during the two or three weeks around the Chinese New Year, which this year fell on Jan. 25.

There’s still uncertainty around the virus and its disruption of life in China and now other countries, such as South Korea, Iran and Italy, including whether it can be re-introduced by travelers to China.

Read more here.

The World Health Organization's map shows countries with confirmed cases of COVID-19 coronavirus.

Where has the coronavirus been confirmed?

Ohio has tested seven people for coronavirus, though it has not confirmed any cases.

As of Wednesday, 14 patients in the United States have had coronavirus, 12 cases contracted from travel abroad and two from person-to-person contact, according to the CDC. A U.S. soldier in South Korea has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

Globally, according to the World Health Organization, there are, 80,239 confirmed cases of coronavirus and about 2.700 deaths.

There are cases in:

China

Hong Kong

Macau

Taiwan

Afghanistan

Australia

Bahrain

Belgium

Cambodia

Canada

Egypt

Finland

France

Germany

India

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Italy

Japan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Malaysia

Nepal

Oman

Philippines

Russia

Sri Lanka

Singapore

Spain

Sweden

Thailand

The Republic of Korea

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

Vietnam

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