The new strain has led to fatalities and the closure of Wuhan — as health officials worry holiday travelers could spread the virus across the globe.
By Greg Hudson
Local officials closed the seafood and meat market in Wuhan on Jan. 1. By then, a number of victims had come down with worrying symptoms from a new strain of coronavirus, which has been known to be transmitted from animals to humans. By Jan. 9 the first patient, a 61-year-old man had died.
Since then, hundreds of cases have been reported in Wuhan and in other Asian countries, including Thailand and South Korea — along with more than a dozen deaths. In a move reminiscent of historical plagues, Chinese officials have shut down public transport in and out of Wuhan in an attempt to contain the outbreak from spreading. It is the lunar New Year, when millions celebrate by visiting families, and the fear is that many travelers will carry the coronavirus with them across China and the world beyond.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus has already reached the United States — the first patient is a man in his 30s who traveled from Wuhan to Seattle. Though he landed without any symptoms, he is believed to have carried the new strain with him.
As the virus spreads, so do concerns — especially in American cities with large populations of Asians who may be traveling for the New Year festivities. In Seattle, drugstores are reportedly running out of face masks.
Coronaviruses typically cause respiratory distress in mammals, most notably bats and camels, but hundreds of other species as well. The viruses, named for the ‘corona’ or crown-like appearance under a microscope, are also well-known in human populations. Health officials say most Americans are exposed to a coronavirus at least once in their lives. Usually the virus results in mild symptoms similar to a cold — sniffy, sneezy, sore throat.
But because there is no cure for the new strain — and a vaccine could be years in the making — health officials are taking the new outbreak very seriously. A coronavirus can trigger pneumonia and other deadly respiratory conditions, especially in the elderly, small children and people with compromised immune systems.
Chinese authorities are handing out face masks to people in infected areas and have launched a massive educational campaign to alert people to wash their hands frequently and report to medical authorities if they feel symptoms.
Here in the US, the Centers for Disease Control has dispatched more than 100 workers to screen passengers at international airports in five major cities: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and Chicago. It’s expected that 5,000 people will be traveling from Wuhan to the United States in the next few weeks.
The CDC has also developed a quick test to diagnose the new virus, which it is sharing with other health agencies throughout the world. But that won’t eliminate the threat. "Screening is a very imperfect tool,” says one expert, “but it's the only tool we have to try and prevent the importation of a disease."
What can you do? Health officials say that, unless you are traveling to China or hosting someone from there, you have a very, very low risk of infection. Face masks aren’t necessary, and many doctors think they are ineffective anyway. But we should all wash our hands thoroughly (at least 20 seconds) or use sanitizer — not so much to protect against the new strain of coronavirus but mostly the other viruses that run rampant in the colder months, when we are crowded indoors with our fellow human beings.
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How many confirmed cases have been reported?
Authorities have confirmed just over 544 cases as of Wednesday. The bulk are in China, but cases have been confirmed in Thailand, Japan, South Korea and now the US, where a man in his 30s in Washington state has been confirmed to have the disease. A suspected case in Australia was revealed not to be coronavirus.
A list of cases and their locations are below:
National authorities in China continue to monitor over 1,300 residents who visited the Wuhan market or have had prolonged contact with those presenting symptoms of the novel disease.
Officials in Hubei province, where Wuhan is located, said Wednesday that the virus is responsible for 17 deaths. The first death was a 61-year-old man who had frequented the Wuhan market and had chronic liver disease and abdominal tumors. The second was a 69-year-old man who went to a hospital with severe damage to multiple organs.
A study, published by the Imperial College London on Jan. 17, estimates the total number of 2019-nCoV cases could be much higher than reported, reaching over 1,700 cases. The work, led by Neil Ferguson, calculated how far the virus is likely to spread based on its incubation period and the amount of travel in and out of Wuhan since it was first detected.
The WHO's full report was last updated on Tuesday and only includes data up to Monday.
WHO situation report on novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV)- 21 January 2020 bit.ly/3ayAJpZ
(data from 20 January 2020)
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