Boise Death Sparks Coronavirus Concern

I received an alert on my phone from CNN just the other day declaring that the death toll surrounding the Coronavirus had officially surpassed the death toll from SARS during the 2003 outbreak. I was just a kid when SARS was a thing but I remember it being all over the news and thinking to myself--what on earth is this disease and what is going on. After weeks of concern now surrounding the Coronavirus, there have been travel restrictions implemented, grounded flights, quarantined cruise ships, and extremely serious warning released from the Centers for Disease Control.

While neighboring states like Washington have seen their own Coronavirus cases, our state of Idaho has yet to deal with any confirmed cases. A recent death has officials being extra cautious.

A 71-year-old Boise man was found dead by Boise Police during a wellness check and his recent travel history shows that he was in China not long ago. After two stops in China and a layover in Los Angeles, he was back in Boise on February 5th. Preliminary tests show negative results for Coronavirus however health officials say that they'll know more in the coming days and will continue to keep the public informed.

Precautionary steps for avoiding the Coronavirus are the same as avoiding any sickness or flu-- avoid those who are sick, cover your mouth/nose when you're sick, keep washing your hands and disinfect things at work and at home that you use regularly.

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