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January 24, 2020

Health Advisory

The Health Center and our partners at Hartford HealthCare want to let you know how to best maintain your health during this winter season with all of the circulating viruses.

Influenza, a well-known virus, was diagnosed today in the health center.  If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, please get your FREE vaccine at Health Services for protection. It is NOT too late for it.

  • Mumps, another transmittable virus, has been diagnosed in the Hartford area recently, [6 cases in the past 6 weeks].
  • The recently discovered Coronavirus, a respiratory virus. There have been hundreds of confirmed cases in China, a small percentage of them resulted in viral pneumonia and death in elderly and otherwise frail residents.  We are closely monitoring the spread of this new serious respiratory virus.  Although there has only been one confirmed case of the Coronavirus in Washington State and one in Illinois, we are asking the community to take the following precautions:

If you have traveled internationally within the last 21 days please monitor yourself for symptoms:

  • fever
  • respiratory illness: cough and/or shortness of breath

These symptoms are similar to those attributed to the flu and other viruses.  Don’t presume these are “only a cold” or “the Flu”, be checked so you can be certain. Obtain an evaluation immediately at The Health Center or, if closed, a local health care resource, if you feel ill.

Viruses are spread by:

  • the air by coughing and sneezing openly
  • close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
  • touching a surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands

Please utilize good cough/sneeze hygiene by covering mouth with bent arm or using a tissue, just once, and disposing of it.  Hand washing should be done frequently to prevent the transmission of all viruses.

If you have any concerns, please contact the Health Center at (860) 297-2018. We will continue to work with our partners at Hartford Healthcare to keep a close on the situation and will share updates on our website.

Martha B. O’Brien, MS, ANP, BC , APRN “MBOB”
Practice Director of Student Health Services
Hartford HealthCare Medical Group

At Trinity College Health Center
At University of Hartford Health Services