3-year-old Azusa girl fighting for her life after contracting more common strain of coronavirus

There’s now a confirmed case of Novel Coronavirus in a man from Washington State. 

Public health officials are now trying to educate the public about this new strain, in order to contain the spread. 

So far, more than 500 people have come down with what they’re calling Novel Coronavirus in five countries and it’s killed 17.  

Imagine the shock an Azusa mother had when told her daughter has coronavirus. It’s the same virus, but a different more common strain.  

Pediatric infectious disease physician says coronavirus is a family of viruses that includes SARS and MERS. 

Every year, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles will see cases of corona virus, but it doesn’t trigger the kind of response that public health officials talked about in a news conference at LA’s Department of Public Health.  

Right now, passengers traveling from Wuhan, China where this new strain emerged are being screened and told if symptoms arise within two weeks of their trip to Wuhan they should call their doctors.  

Three-year-old Aliya Cardoza wound up in the hospital before Christmas when her lung collapsed and she couldn’t breath.

She’s been heavily medicated and hospitalized since before Christmas. Mom Gloria Aguilar takes little comfort in knowing her daughter was sickened by a more common strain of the coronavirus. She says, doctors can’t say when her baby will be back home and that’s why she started a GoFundMe campaign to raise a little money, so she can skip work to spend more time at the hospital with Aliyah.  

For more information, here’s her GoFundMe page.