SEATTLE — A new survey suggests the majority of Washingtonians are concerned about the Wuhan coronavirus.
An exclusive KING 5 News survey conducted by SurveyUSA found 42% of polled adults were somewhat concerned with the virus, and 19% were extremely concerned. Just 8% of polled adults were not concerned at all with the coronavirus, and 16% were not very concerned. About 15% said they were on the fence.
The survey was conducted between Jan. 26 and Jan. 28, and 1,400 adults were polled across the state.
The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan in central China. As of Thursday, there were 7,834 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 170 deaths globally. Most of those cases occurred in China.
That includes five cases in the U.S., one of which was in Snohomish County. Washington health officials have tested 16 people for the virus, seven of which came back negative.
Washington health officials acknowledge coronavirus poses a public health threat, but they also stress the risk to the general public is low, because there is no evidence the disease is spreading in Washington.
This week, health officials began screening passengers from China for coronavirus at Sea-Tac Airport. Officials plan to educate travelers about the symptoms of coronavirus and tell passengers to go to their health care provider if they exhibit symptoms.
Coronavirus is spread through close personal contact, such as sneezing, coughing, shaking hands, or touching. Symptoms include runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat, and a fever.