Chinese Authorities Begin Quarantine Of Wuhan City As Coronavirus Cases Multiply:
Wuhan's public health authorities say they are in a "state of war" as they quarantine the Chinese city in an attempt to halt the spread of a never-before-seen strain of coronavirus. "Strictly implement emergency response requirements, enter into a state of war and implement wartime measures to resolutely curb the spread of this epidemic," urged a committee of Wuhan's top officials. "Homes must be segregated, neighbors must be watched."
Later Thursday, health officials from the World Health Organization decided not to declare the outbreak an international health emergency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that after two days of meetings in Geneva with the organization's Emergency Committee, the group was divided. "Make no mistake. This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency," Tedros said. "It may yet become one." The WHO is not recommending any international restrictions on trade or travel, but does recommend exit screenings at airports.
Beginning at 10 a.m. local time (9 p.m. Wednesday ET), authorities in Wuhan, about 500 miles west of Shanghai, started sealing off public transportation, including its metro system, airport, train station and long-haul bus hubs. Livestreamed videos from the city show soldiers wearing face masks barricading the entrances to the city's train station Thursday morning to prevent passengers from entering and leaving the city.
The Chinese city of Wuhan is rushing to build a new hospital within six days to treat patients of the coronavirus that has killed at least 26 people across the country and is overwhelming the quarantined city's health system.
The 2019-nCoV virus, which had infected more than 870 people as of Friday morning, originated in Wuhan. China has closed down public-transport links in the city and at least nine others, sealing off a combined 30 million people.
Chinese tourist says she evaded coronavirus checks to fly to France
The Chinese embassy in France has urged its citizens to comply with airport coronavirus checks after a woman from Wuhan said she had evaded screenings in order to fly to France and dine in restaurants there.
The woman told on social media how she took fever medicine to mask flu-like symptoms to bypass temperature checks. Wuhan has temporarily shut down public transport to contain the deadly virus.
Coronavirus has reached Chicago, North Carolina, Minnesota, Washington, etc. 😷
See also: Wuhan's 11 Million People Face Quarantine as Virus Fears Spread
Scientist who simulated the global impact of a coronavirus outbreak says 'the cat's already out of the bag' and China's efforts to contain the disease 'unlikely to be effective'
Inside the Chinese lab poised to study world's most dangerous pathogens
Previously:
China Reports 3rd Death, Nearly 140 New Cases of Coronavirus
China Confirms Human-To-Human Transmission of New Coronavirus; CDC Confirms First US Case
Related Stories
China reports 3rd death, nearly 140 new cases of coronavirus:
China reported on Monday its third death from a mysterious new virus and nearly 140 fresh cases as the disease spread to other parts of the country, including Beijing, raising concerns about more infections as millions begin trips for the Lunar New Year.
Medical experts are still struggling to understand the new strain of coronavirus but its connection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome has caused alarm. SARS originated in southern China in 2002 before spreading to Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world infecting thousands and leaving more than 800 people dead.
Coronaviruses usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, such as the common cold, but can also affect the lower-respiratory tract, causing pneumonia or bronchitis.
[...] In Wuhan, the city in central China where the new strain first emerged, 136 new cases were found over the weekend the local health commission said, without giving details about the person who died.
[...] A total of 201 people have now been diagnosed with the virus in China. In Wuhan, 170 people are still being treated in hospital, including nine in critical condition, the city health commission said.
Wuhan is a city of 11 million inhabitants that serves as a major transport hub, including during the annual Lunar New Year holiday when hundreds of millions of Chinese people travel across the country to visit family.
China confirms human-to-human transmission of new coronavirus:
Human-to-human transmission of a new coronavirus strain has been confirmed in China, fueling fears of a major outbreak of the SARS-like virus as millions travel for the Lunar New Year holiday.
Zhong Nanshan, head of the National Health Commission, said on Monday patients may have contracted the new virus without having visited the central city of Wuhan where it was discovered before spreading across China and reaching three other Asian nations.
"Currently, it can be said it is affirmative that there is the phenomenon of human-to-human transmission," he said in an interview with China's CCTV state broadcaster.
Zhong said two people in Guangdong province in southern China caught the disease from family members who had visited Wuhan.
He added that 14 medical personnel helping with coronavirus patients have also been infected.
Human-to-human transmission could make the virus spread more quickly and widely.
CDC Confirms First US Case of New Coronavirus
Public health officials have confirmed the first U.S. case of a mysterious coronavirus that has already killed at least six people and sickened hundreds of others in China, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
A male traveler from China has been diagnosed in Snohomish County, Washington State with the Wuhan coronavirus, according to the CDC.
Officials said the sick male, in his 30s, is “very healthy.” He is currently being isolated at a medical center in the state “out of caution” and “poses little risk” to the public, they said. The CDC said the male reached out to local health authorities on Jan. 15 once he started experiencing pneumonia-like symptoms.
Previously:
China Reports 3rd Death, Nearly 140 New Cases of Coronavirus
China Battles Coronavirus Outbreak: All the Latest Updates:
The virus thought to have originated in a Wuhan food market continues to spread as China steps up containment efforts.
[...] China is extending the Lunar New Year holiday for three days and enforcing strict containment measures in an attempt to curb the spread of a new coronavirus that has killed 80 people and infected at more than 2,700, most of them in the central province of Hubei where the virus first emerged.
The holiday season was due to end on Friday but will now be extended until February 2.
More than 56 million people in almost 20 cities, including the Hubei capital of Wuhan, have been affected by travel restrictions, introduced amid fears the transmission rate will balloon as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel during the Lunar New Year celebrations.
[...] Health authorities around the world are taking action to prevent a pandemic as more countries report cases. Confirmed cases have so far been announced in several Asiancountries, Europe and North America.
[...] The World Health Organization (WHO) has acknowledged the respiratory illness, which has been traced to the city of Wuhan, is an emergency in China but the organisation said on Thursday it was too early to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
Previously:
- Coronavirus: Millions Quarantined in Wuhan City
- China Reports 3rd Death, Nearly 140 New Cases of Coronavirus
- China Confirms Human-To-Human Transmission of New Coronavirus; CDC Confirms First US Case
Plague Inc. maker: Don't use our game for coronavirus modeling:
Interest in the continued spread of the coronavirus has had an unintended side effect for UK-based Ndemic Creations, makers of Plague Inc. The eight-year-old game—which asks players to shepherd a worldwide pandemic so it can destroy all of humanity—has seen a spike in popularity in recent weeks, becoming the most-downloaded iPhone app in China on January 21 and in the United States on January 23, according to tracking firm App Annie.
The surge in interest has led Ndemic to issue a statement urging players not to rely on the app for information on staying safe from the coronavirus' current spread. "Please remember that Plague Inc. is a game, not a scientific model and that the currentcoronavirus outbreak is a very real situation which is impacting a huge number of people," the statement reads, in part. "We would always recommend that players get their information directly from local and global health authorities."
[...] Ndemic points players to the WHO for up-to-date information about the coronavirus. The disease now has more than 2,800 reported cases worldwide and has led to at least 80 deaths.
Interesting educational tool: CDC: Solve The Outbreak
Previously:
China Battles Coronavirus Outbreak: All the Latest Updates
Coronavirus: Millions Quarantined in Wuhan City
China Confirms Human-To-Human Transmission of New Coronavirus; CDC Confirms First US Case
China Reports 3rd Death, Nearly 140 New Cases of Coronavirus
Coronavirus declared global health emergency by WHO
The new coronavirus has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization, as the outbreak continues to spread outside China.
"The main reason for this declaration is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The concern is that it could spread to countries with weaker health systems.
1st Person-To-Person Spread Of Coronavirus Has Occurred In U.S., CDC Says
Coronavirus: US reports first person-to-person transmission
Chicago health officials have reported the first US case of human-to-human transmission of the deadly coronavirus.
The new patient is the spouse of a Chicago woman who carried the infection back from Wuhan, China, the US Centers for Disease Control said on Thursday.
The discovery marks the second report of the virus in Illinois and the sixth confirmed case in the US.
This paper provides early estimates of 2019-nCoV epidemiological parameters: Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV: early estimation of epidemiological parameters and epidemic predictions (open, DOI: 10.1101/2020.01.23.20018549) (DX)
Used model does not offer much grounds for optimism.
Previously:
China Reports 3rd Death, Nearly 140 New Cases of Coronavirus
China Confirms Human-To-Human Transmission of New Coronavirus; CDC Confirms First US Case
Coronavirus: Millions Quarantined in Wuhan City
China Battles Coronavirus Outbreak: All the Latest Updates
In The Pipeline: Coronavirus
Plague Inc. Maker: Don't use our Game for Coronavirus Modeling
Original Submission #1 Original Submission #2 Original Submission #3
Multiple Soylentils have submitted stories regarding the 2019-nCoV coronavirus which is believed to have originated in the city of Wuhan, China in December 2019. Rather than have a smattering of stories appear on the site, they have been gathered here in one story. Read on if you are interested; otherwise another story will be along presently.
This story is a roundup of several virus stories that were submitted over the past few days. This is a changing story, so some of what is posted below may have changed since the time of their originally being published.
What's in a name? One significant change is what the names are for everything. There is the question of what to call the actual virus and then what to call it when someone is infected.
Virus: The virus by itself is now officially referred to as SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). It was formerly known as 2019-nCoV (2019 novel coronavirus).
Disease: Those who have been infected by this virus are said to have a disease. The name of the disease is coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which is also known as 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease.
More details are available on Wikipedia.
The six submitted stories are presented below.
NIH Official Says Coronavirus 'on the Verge' of Becoming Global Pandemic Unless Containment Improves
Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CBS's "Face The Nation" that multiple person-to-person transmissions need to occur in multiple countries in order to reach the pandemic threshold.
[...] "Technically speaking, the [World Health Organization] wouldn't be calling this a global pandemic. But it certainly is on the verge of that happening reasonably soon unless containment is more successful than it is right now," he said.
Even though it has only been a short while since our last round-up there are 22 separate stories merged into this round-up. Many report duplicate news but, nevertheless, we have tried to distill the important elements of each submission.
Firstly, there is some confusion regarding the actual names that are reported for the virus, the disease that it causes, and names frequently seen in media reporting. From https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-020-0695-z:
The present outbreak of a coronavirus-associated acute respiratory disease called coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is the third documented spillover of an animal coronavirus to humans in only two decades that has resulted in a major epidemic. The Coronaviridae Study Group (CSG) of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, which is responsible for developing the classification of viruses and taxon nomenclature of the family Coronaviridae, has assessed the placement of the human pathogen, tentatively named 2019-nCoV, within the Coronaviridae. Based on phylogeny, taxonomy and established practice, the CSG recognizes this virus as forming a sister clade to the prototype human and bat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses (SARS-CoVs) of the species Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus, and designates it as SARS-CoV-2.
In order to facilitate communication, the CSG proposes to use the following naming convention for individual isolates: SARS-CoV-2/host/location/isolate/date. While the full spectrum of clinical manifestations associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans remains to be determined, the independent zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 highlights the need for studying viruses at the species level to complement research focused on individual pathogenic viruses of immediate significance. This will improve our understanding of virus–host interactions in an ever-changing environment and enhance our preparedness for future outbreaks.
There is much more information at the link provided.
Secondly, as this is a fusion of stories received over the last week or so take all quoted figures of casualties as possibly out-of-date. At the time of merging these stories (12 Mar 20) there have been 127,863 confirmed cases world-wide resulting in 4,717 deaths. 68,309 people have already recovered with the remainder either in self-imposed or advisory isolation, in basic hospital care and a relatively small number in critical care. The pandemic has affected 116 countries/regions. Source: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 - a graphical display produced by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
Many countries have taken emergency measures to restrict travel or large gatherings of people. As this is a very fluid situation we suggest you refer to the media of any specific country in which you have an interest. President Trump has banned transatlantic air travel from countries in mainland Europe to the USA from Friday 2020-03-13 at 23:59 (no timezone stated) for a period initially of 30 days, and air travel within Europe is also significantly disrupted.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @04:48AM (1 child)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @05:01AM
It is really hard to tell from the info out there.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Coward, Anonymous on Saturday January 25 2020, @05:22AM (1 child)
If you visit China, stay away from the bat soup [thesun.co.uk].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @07:42AM
is joker soup ok?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @05:38AM (8 children)
Tell us:
1) Number of people tested for this virus
2) Number of people tested who were ill
3) Number of people tested who did not end up ill
4) Number/precent of people ill who tested negative
That is not exclusive but would be a start.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @06:52AM (5 children)
All rapidly shifting. Literally on the order of hours. 1k confirmed infected in China. They're literally building at least one hospital just for this right now from scratch to be opening in 13 days, to give you an idea of the local impact. Global, we'll see where it reaches, it won't be pandemic but it might be a global air travel lockdown within the month.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @08:41AM
We are going to build a hospital in five days. Who said five days, it will be done in six. What do you mean six days? It will be done in ten. This hospital will be done in twelve days!
All in all, best of luck china.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Saturday January 25 2020, @08:58PM (3 children)
That "hospital" will certainly be one jury-rigged one. I guess you could to a single floor version with minimal plumbing and electrics. It would keep off the wind and the rain, and hold beds. No time to cure the foundations. Or they could co-opt an existing department store and remodel it.
But in 13 days you won't build a decent hospital from scratch, no matter how you work. Maybe an office building would be a better place to start than a department store. That way you wouldn't need to finish the conversion before you started moving patients in.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Saturday January 25 2020, @09:47PM
I'm sure that it's based on the proven management principle of 9 women making a baby in a month. Or the even more cutting edge principle that shows you only need 4 1/2 women if they are constantly told to work smarter, not harder and other platitudes backed up with "inspirational" posters stuck to the wall at regular intervals.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 26 2020, @01:58PM
What are you talking about? They are working shifts 24h/day to build it, and they're not yet off schedule.
From an article about it:
from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/24/chinese-city-wuhan-plans-to-build-coronavirus-hospital-in-six-days [theguardian.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 26 2020, @02:52PM
Some in China have been building stuff quickly for years:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6ViuDT0PM4 [youtube.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwvmru5JmXk [youtube.com] (they actually took a bit longer for this one than their claims but it's still fast compared to more conventional methods).
And before these, 17 years ago they built a hospital in less than a week and got it running quite quickly.
So in 2020 I'm sure they can build another hospital as quickly.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @01:24PM (1 child)
The R0 estimates were initially 3.5, now recalculated at 2.5. That's similar to SARS which was effectively reduced to 0.38 via control measures. There are videos from China of people dropping in the streets, if verified this isn't a "mild cold" as some are claiming.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Saturday January 25 2020, @09:00PM
That "if verified" is a crucial qualifier. There's so much known garbage information circulating that my first inclination is to doubt the truth of it.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @05:44AM
Did nobody in China ever play Shadowrun?
Bug City, man. It's not a good scene. There will be pain.
Well, at least there probably hasn't been a tac nuke yet.
(Score: 3, Informative) by deimtee on Saturday January 25 2020, @07:58AM (11 children)
There is one confirmed case in Melbourne and likely more in Sydney.
https://in.reuters.com/article/china-health-australia/australia-confirms-first-case-of-coronavirus-as-protective-masks-sell-out-idINKBN1ZO04D [reuters.com]
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @08:04AM
Believe in the fires, they will protect you from Corona-chan.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by PartTimeZombie on Saturday January 25 2020, @08:06AM (9 children)
Meanwhile our government is saying the likelihood of it reaching here is "very low" despite the fact thousands of Chinese students will arrive next month for the start of the school year.
Yeah, we're getting it shortly.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @08:50AM
Is somebody being funny with the soylent QOTD ?
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Saturday January 25 2020, @08:51AM (1 child)
Four scenarios,
We don't close the borders and shut down air travel
1. China manages containment
2. China fails containment and we demand to know why the US gov't didn't shut it all down
We close the borders
3. China manages containment and we demand to know why the US gov't overreacted and damaged the world economy so much (SARS was like 1% China's GDP
4. China fails containment and everyone is okay with it
I prefer option three although it might have been pointless because even by the time we knew we already had pretty significant world spread. This thing kicked off in mid to late December with a 14 day incubation period some people being able to spread but not show symptoms.
RO 3.8, earlier today of the total CCP reported numbers ~20% of those infected were critical, 3% died, and 3% were not getting worse.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday January 25 2020, @10:00AM
(Score: 2, Troll) by Chocolate on Saturday January 25 2020, @09:02AM (5 children)
Ban people from China. Fixes this problem and the housing market at the same time.
Bit-choco-coin anyone?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @05:29PM (2 children)
What will germophobe Trump do?
(Score: 0, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday January 25 2020, @08:47PM (1 child)
I don't know what Trump will do, but what I do know is that all these "epidemic" jumpscares turn out to be overhyped nothingburgers like Bird flu and swine flu.
And of course (((big pharma))) gets to profit from the resulting hysteria vaccinations.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @08:49PM
Racist EF chimes in with his stupidity. Are you just so upset you aren't a billionaire yet that every rich person == jewish oppression of your potential?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 27 2020, @08:30AM
It's too late!
https://www.news.com.au/world/asia/young-female-chinese-student-likely-to-be-fifth-case-in-australia-to-contract-coronavirus/news-story/f42f2e520b4a757cf748c7fba1617cba [news.com.au]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 27 2020, @09:58AM
This post was marked as a troll but it seems that this is exactly what should have been done to contain the outbreak.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @08:33AM
where the grass is green and the girls wear face masks.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by EJ on Saturday January 25 2020, @08:50AM (2 children)
I wonder if some new (old?) viruses are emerging from beneath the once-frozen permafrost that is now melting.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by khallow on Saturday January 25 2020, @09:56AM
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @11:22AM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @04:03PM (1 child)
Keep in contained people. Just like the aids virus.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Saturday January 25 2020, @09:11PM
That depends on a couple of unknowns:
1) How many cases are both asymptomatic and contagious?
2) How contagious is the disease?
If only people expressing symptoms are contagious, or if it's barely transmissible, then there appears to be no real problem. And we don't know.
If asymptomatic people are contagious, and if it's extremely contagious (like a cold), then it's already out in the world.
Of course, an additional concern is that viruses mutate, and just because this version is safe, doesn't mean it's not one mutation away from being horrendous.
However, early indications are that it's only moderately contagious, and that it requires considerable contact to be transmissible. So even though the current version is often deadly, it appears relatively easily controllable. Also, that you're at least most contagious after the symptoms appear. (I've no clear idea how contagious that "most contagious" stage is, though. Just that it took awhile to confirm that human-to-human transmission was happening.)
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 25 2020, @09:04PM (1 child)
it is always extra sad when a doctor or nurse dies before their time ... not to mention grave diggers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 27 2020, @10:05AM
it's easier to train more grave diggers
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 26 2020, @01:36AM
I guarantee all these people dying from the virus are depleted of vitamin C. The pharmacokinetic models developed for healthy people do not work for people who are sick, which leads to an egregious underestimate of the intake required by orders of magnitude:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5725835/ [nih.gov]
The body is using up the vitamin C to fight the inflammation.
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Sunday January 26 2020, @04:02PM
It can't be good when a public health worker starts off their tweet about the pandemic potential of a virus.
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1220919589623803905 [twitter.com]
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды