Information for Healthcare Professionals
Limited information is available to characterize the spectrum of clinical illness associated with 2019-nCoV. No vaccine or specific treatment for 2019-nCoV infection is available; care is supportive.
The CDC clinical criteria for a 2019-nCoV patient under investigation (PUI) have been developed based on what is known about MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV and are subject to change as additional information becomes available.
Health care providers should obtain a detailed travel history for patients being evaluated with fever and acute respiratory illness. CDC guidance for evaluating and reporting a PUI for MERS-CoV remains unchanged.
| Clinical Features | & | Epidemiologic Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Fever or signs/symptoms of lower respiratory illness (e.g. cough or shortness of breath) | AND | Any person, including health care workers, who has had close contact with a laboratory-confirmed 2019-nCoV patient within 14 days of symptom onset |
| Fever1 and signs/symptoms of a lower respiratory illness (e.g., cough or shortness of breath) | AND | A history of travel from Hubei Province, China within 14 days of symptom onset |
| Fever1 and signs/symptoms of a lower respiratory illness (e.g., cough or shortness of breath) requiring hospitalization4 | AND | A history of travel from mainland China within 14 days of symptom onset |
The criteria are intended to serve as guidance for evaluation. Patients should be evaluated and discussed with public health departments on a case-by-case basis if their clinical presentation or exposure history is equivocal (e.g., uncertain travel or exposure).