Coronavirus fears are on the rise, but one expert says not to panic

As of early February, there is one known case of the coronavirus in Los Angeles County and six total cases in California.

A woman, who declined to give her name, wears a mask, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020 in New York. She works for a pharmaceutical company and said she wears the mask out of concern for the coronavirus. "I'd wear a mask if I were you," she said. For the first time in the U.S., the new virus from China has spread from one person to another, health officials said Thursday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

By Meagan Burke, James Hofeling, and Gabriella Taglione

February 10, 2020 at 5:47PM PST

More and more students on USC’s campus are wearing surgical face masks due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. But are those masks actually effective? Dr. Priya Soni, a specialist in infectious diseases at Cedars Sinai Hospital, explains why students shouldn’t overreact.