Corona in latin means halo or crown. An illustration created by the Centers for Disease Control shows where the virus got its name. The spikes on the surface project the look of a crown surrounding the virion (center) when viewed under a microscope. Courtesy illustration CDC

A designated coronavirus testing lab will open in Corpus Christi, one of 10 Texas cities chosen by Governor Greg Abbott for the Texas Laboratory Response Network. Other cities are Lubbock, Dallas, Tyler, San Antonio, Houston, Harlingen, Fort Worth, Austin, and El Paso.



Designated labs should shorten the amount of time it takes Texas doctors to confirm cases of the virus, Abbott announced in a media conference March 5.



Six labs are already open. The Corpus Christi lab should be operational by the end of the month. With all 10 online, the state should be able to test about 125 cases a day, turning around results within days rather than the weeklong wait when sending tests out of state.



Doctors test patients with a nasal or oral swab. Swabs are sent to the nearest lab for testing.



Until recently, the only COVID-19 cases in the state were quarantined at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. On March 5, three additional cases were reported: one in Fort Bend County and two in Houston. All three are related to travel to Egypt. Those cases had to be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control outside of the state, slowing the process for confirmation. The 10 state labs will speed that process.



No evidence of community spread — patients with the virus who have not traveled outside of the United States — have been found in Texas so far, according to Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services.



“We just now have the capability to make sure we can turn around those results a whole lot quicker,” Abbott said. “We want to make sure every Texan has the ability to be tested, period.”



State public health officials are meeting regularly to track news and spread of the global outbreak.



Coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, was first discovered in China in December 2019. CO stands for corona, VI for virus, and D for disease. The 19 indicates the year the disease was found.



Coronavirus is a large family of respiratory viruses that can infect mice, rates, dogs, cats, turkeys, horses, pigs, and cattle. In rare cases, it transfers from animal to human. The first infections in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, were linked to a live animal market.



The virus is a highly infectious respiratory disease related to the SARS-associated coronavirus that caused an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, in 2002-03. It is not, however, the same virus.



The disease spreads person to person through respiratory droplets. Those suffering from COVID-19 should be held in quarantine until fully recovered. A recovered patient is no longer contagious, according to the CDC.



To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, or any other virus or infection, doctors recommend frequent handwashing with soap for at least 20 seconds. Wash hands after blowing your nose coughing, sneezing, or using the restroom.



Resist touching your face, as doctors believe the disease can spread from a surface or object with the virus on it. Touching the object and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes can spread the disease. However, this is not the main way the virus spreads. This coronavirus does not last long on surfaces.



“We have very powerful, very effective tools to combat the spread,” Hellerstedt said. “It’s exactly the kind of personal hygiene, cleaning, and sanitation that we’ve talked about. This is what your doctor and grandma have been telling you your entire life, and it works. It works with every single germ there is.”



For more information on the coronavirus and how to prevent the spread, refer to the CDC website at cdc.gov.



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