Six die as Wuhan coronavirus spreads globally
Photo credit: The China Project illustration by Derek Zheng
The U.S. has its first reported infection, while the novel Wuhan coronavirus is transmissible between humans, Chinese health authorities announced on Monday. The working name of the bug is 2019-nCoV.
Quick facts you need to know about the virus and how it will affect travel
The death toll is now six.ย โAll of the deceased had underlying health conditions and were between 48 and 89 years old,โ according to Sixth Tone.ย Per government stats, there are now more than 300 people infected in China.
The American state of Washington, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the Philippines have all confirmed cases of infected peopleย (porous paywall). All infected people reported outside of China seem to have traveled from Wuhan.
In China, at least two cases of human-to-human transmission have been confirmed by Chinaโs National Health Commission: Two people in Guangdong Province โbecame sick after their family members recently returnedโ from Wuhan.
Airportsย in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia, Thailand, Nigeria, and the U.S.A. have implemented screening for passengers arriving from Wuhan or China.
What happens next?
The World Health Organizationย (WHO) will holdย an emergency committee meeting on Wednesday to determine whether to declare an international public health emergency.
Face masks and disinfectants are selling out in Chinese cities, and in Hong Kong and Taiwan. There are serious concerns of a spike during the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday, which begins on Saturday, when 3 billion tripsย are expected to be made over the course of the week.
Top leader Xรญ Jรฌnpรญngย ไน ่ฟๅนณ instructed โresolute effortsโ โ as paraphrased by Xinhuaย โ to control the contagion, but serious concerns about Chinese government transparency remain.
โShares of certain biotech stocks are soaring,โ reports Motley Fool. โNovavax is up 73 percent today from its closing price Friday.โ
Further reading:ย China confirms human-to-human transmission of new coronavirus while WHO convenes emergency meetingย on The China Project.
Practical information:ย explainersย from the New York Timesย (porous paywall), USA Today, and WHO.
โAnthony Tao and Jeremy Goldkorn
