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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
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Friday January 31 2020, @03:05AM (6 children)
First thing you learn is you want as long an incubation period as possible without any symptoms. If a symptom pops up (like coughing) you try to squash it ASAP, else those clever bumpkins notice your little science fair project.
It's just a fact of life that people with brains the size of grapes have mouths the size of watermelons. -- Aunty Acid
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Friday January 31 2020, @06:54AM
Username checks out.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 31 2020, @07:52AM (4 children)
If I were a bioweapons researcher I'd try to make a combination weapon. e.g. you normally only die if you get infected by both viruses within a certain time period. If you get infected by one it's only like the common cold or something - e.g very contagious but doesn't kill.
See also: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170131124205.htm [sciencedaily.com]
That way it's easier to control who dies and maybe harder to figure out what's going on. Also if one gets loose it's not as big a problem.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 31 2020, @08:26AM (3 children)
Why would you want the enemy to die instead of continuing to consume resources in a hospital bed? The best bioweapon is probably something like HFCS...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 31 2020, @10:37AM
Go ask the others making lethal weapons if you can't figure out why.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 31 2020, @12:56PM (1 child)
High Fructose Corn Syrup ?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 31 2020, @02:25PM
Yes, simply drain the enemys resources by making them so unhealthy they require constant medical care for their entire lives.