Hundreds of people have been sickened by a new coronavirus, called 2019-nCoV, in at least eight countries, including the US. Coronaviruses attack the respiratory system, sometimes targeting the cells deep within the lungs. Only seven, including 2019-nCoV, SARS, and MERS, have evolved to infect humans.
The outbreak was first reported to the World Health Organization by Chinese officials on December 31 in Wuhan, a city of 11 million in Hubei province. By mid-January, it had begun spreading rapidly, leading to more than 600 confirmed cases and 18 deaths.
On January 23, quarantine measures expanded from Wuhan to two additional cities about 50 miles east of Wuhan — Huanggang and Ezhou — effectively stifling the movement of nearly 20 million people. But the World Health Organization has ruled that the outbreak is not yet a global health emergency, a rare designation the agency gives outbreaks that pose an international risk.
There are still many unknowns about this outbreak. Experts still aren’t sure which animal carries this virus and transmitted it to humans, how easily it spreads among people, or how deadly it is.
Author: Eliza Barclay
Read More
Paige Vickers/Vox; Getty Images In times of economic uncertainty, small luxuries reign supreme. In 2007,…
Paige Vickers/Vox Plus, lessons worth learning about financial literacy. On the Money is a monthly…
The UN reports that over a trillion dollars worth of food gets thrown out every…
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conducts a press conference on a plan to stop illegal migration…
The debate over the Anthropocene epoch, explained. The word “Anthropocene” has gained cultural resonance in…
President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrive for a photo during…