DES MOINES, Iowa -- Twenty-six Iowans are being monitored by the Iowa Department of Public Health for signs of coronavirus.
"We know about about people who have had the risk factor of recent travel to China, and we're asking them to sort of stay away from others, stay away from group settings and to check in with Public Health about how they're feeling" says Public Health Medical Director Caitlin Pedati.
She's says even with the coronavirus monitoring, it's also important to remember that this is a time of year with lots of respiratory illnesses like colds and flu.
"In fact, it's more likely that's what's going on. Even people traveling from China at this point are more likely to have a different virus that's circulating and is quite common at this point" Pedati says.
The Public Health Department says two people in Iowa have tested negative for cornonavirus