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The coronavirus should have everyone's attention by now, health experts say. And people with heart disease have .

COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December and has since sickened hundreds of thousands of people and killed thousands around the globe.

For people with underlying heart issues, the concerns are serious. It appears people over 65 with coronary heart disease are more likely to develop more severe symptoms. In February, the American College of Cardiology issued a to warn patients about the potential increased risk and to encourage "additional, reasonable precautions."

Based on early reports, 40% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had cardiovascular disease or cerebrovascular disease (which refers to blood flow in the brain, such as stroke), according to the bulletin. Different areas of the country are seeing different levels of virus activity, though the virus is now in every state, and the