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USC Debunks Social Media Claim That Student Contracted Coronavirus

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — USC says no students or residents on campus have been diagnosed or are under evaluation for the novel coronavirus after a social media scare.

The university said that a social media report that claimed a student at the Lorenzo Apartments, an off-campus housing facility, had contracted the virus was inaccurate. No one affiliated with the university has developed the illness, according to USC.

Notifications about the deadly virus, which has killed more than 100 and sickened thousands in several countries, are communicated by local public health authorities, USC said.

An outbreak of novel coronavirus has prompted China to quarantine the city of Wuhan, where the virus originated in December. The virus has spread to 17 countries, with confirmed cases in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The U.S. government on Monday evacuated hundreds of citizens from Wuhan. They are expected to arrive at Ontario International Airport on Wednesday.

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