A potentially deadly virus is moving this way.

The Chinese corona virus has been confirmed in Seattle, Arizona, Texas, and Chicago.

Should we in Lexington County be alarmed?

To answer that, I consulted Dr. Lachin Hatemi of Veritas Health Group in Lexington.

He said the corona virus is as dangerous as the SARS virus in 2003. It infected 8,000 people and killed 800. It was probably an animal virus, possibly bats, that spread to other animals and eventually humans.

With international travel, it is easy for contagions to jump from continent to continent in a few days.

The corona virus started in the Wuhan Province in China and has already killed at least 67 people there. Dr. Hatemi declared it to be extremely virulent and contagious. It can be spread in 2 ways, as an airborne contagion or by contact with someone who has the virus.

It is not yet known if or how long the virus can live on surfaces or objects.

Initially, symptoms resemble the flu that we are dealing with worldwide now. Those are chills, fever, headache, muscle and general body aches and weakness. There may also be a serious loss of appetite.

If not caught quickly, serious respiratory distress and even death are possible. The symptoms usually start 2-7 days after exposure to the virus.

Since the symptoms are so similar to influenza, you cannot immediately tell which you have.

It is best to seek medical care right away. Young children, the elderly and anyone with a weakened immune system (such as one undergoing chemotherapy) are at the greatest risk.

Presently, there is no anti-virus to treat corona virus. The only options are quarantine and supportive care like adding lots of fluids and possibly oxygen therapy.

To avoid catching Corona or any flu virus, Dr. Hatemi says you should avoid crowded public places and public transportation, especially airplanes.

He also recommends wearing a mask, and practicing good hand washing. It’s a good idea to keep hand sanitizer with you. Regularly disinfect all hard surfaces around your home and workplace.

We have received information that UPS and several other international freight carriers have instructed their workers to wear masks and gloves when handling containers from China.

We are asking our readers to be alert, cautious and spread the word to others.