NORFOLK, Va. — On Wednesday, Eastern Virginia Medical school had a panel of doctors discuss what is the coronavirus, how it spreads and the economic impact.
EVMS Assistant Professor of Public Health Dr. Glenn Yap focused his presentation on the economic impact the virus will have in Virginia and Hampton Roads.
"Virginia exported $1.2 billion to China in 2018. Port of Virginia is its number one trading partner in China. They predict a six-to-eight percent decrease in shipping volumes as a result," said Yap.
Yap mentioned that the public should not panic but prepare themselves just in case the coronavirus lasts longer than expected.
"The longer it goes, the higher the possibility that we start seeing some real job losses temporarily if people are not staying in hotels, if people aren't loading or unloading shipping containers eventually. They will have to decrease their local workforce temporarily."
The panel also opened up for questions from the audience and online. One online question was: "I've seen things going around on social media stating certain races are immune to the virus. Does this have any truth to it?"
"I can say no there's a lot of misinformation going around on social media, it's really sad actually," said EVMS' Dr. Edward C. Oldfield.
Another audience member asked another question that hits closer to home: "What is the preparation for Something in the Water which is scheduled to happen in about seven weeks?" asked an audience member.
Norfolk and Virginia Beach Departments of Public Health District Director Dr. Demetria Lindsay answered by explaining the district is closely tracking the coronavirus activity and have not come to a decision to stop the festival or any events at this time.