China warns coronavirus can spread before symptoms show
What we’re covering here
- Rising toll: 80 people are dead and more than 2,700 cases have been confirmed in mainland China, as the Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread throughout Asia and the rest of the world.
- China on lockdown: Nearly 60 million people have been affected by partial or full lockdowns in Chinese cities as the country’s government steps up its response.
- Global spread: There are 50 confirmed cases in 13 places outside of mainland China, including at least five in the United States.
- Contagious before symptoms: People can spread the virus before symptoms show, China’s health minister said Sunday, complicating efforts to contain the outbreak.
New details on Arizona coronavirus patient
Another case of coronavirus has been confirmed, in Arizona, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday, bringing the total to five cases in the United States.
The state health department said the patient is an adult member of the Arizona State University community, though it did not release the patient’s age or gender.
Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, told CNN that the patient had recently returned from travel to Wuhan, and that they called their health care provider once they developed mild respiratory symptoms. Christ added that the patient was asymptomatic — not showing symptoms — during travel.
Health officials decided to test the patient for the coronavirus and sent samples to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, which were confirmed positive on Sunday.
The patient is currently not hospitalized, but self-isolated at home. Public health officials will be following up with any close contacts of the patient during the time period when they were symptomatic.8 min ago
Five Wuhan coronavirus cases now confirmed in the US
Five cases of Wuhan coronavirus have been confirmed in the United States, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday.
One new case was confirmed in Arizona and two cases were confirmed in California. Cases had previously been confirmed in Illinois and Washington state. All the cases were in people who had recently traveled to Wuhan, China.
Several people have been infected with the Wuhan coronavirus in the US — including a man in his 30s in Washington state; a Chicago woman in her 60s; a man in his 50s in Orange County, California, a patient in Los Angeles County; and a fifth in Arizona. All had recently traveled to Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.
State and federal officials are following up with anyone who may have had close contact with the person and is at risk of infection.
China’s unprecedented quarantines could have wider consequences, experts say
With Chinese authorities warning the coronavirus outbreak is accelerating, placing millions of people in more than a dozen Chinese cities under intense travel restrictions might seem like a good idea.
But historically a mass quarantine is an aggressive response that’s far from perfect. In the past it has led to political, financial and social consequences.
Quarantines date back to Italy in the 1300s, as the bubonic plague ravaged Europe. In Venice, sailors and ships coming from infected ports were made to wait 40 days before docking in a practice called “quaranta giorni,” or “40 days.”
No quarantine goes perfectly: People criticize quarantines because in practice a virus or bacteria “invariably gets loose,” as do people, said Howard Markel, professor and director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan.
Logistical issues: Just the word “quarantine” can cause panic or hysteria, Markel said. Anyone concerned about a common cold or sniffle will head for hospitals, straining already precious resources. Wuhan officials have already acknowledged local hospitals were struggling to accommodate people seeking medical attention.
Broader financial consequences: Quarantines “are often very economically and financially costly,” said Alexandre White, an assistant professor of sociology and the history of medicine at Johns Hopkins University. The flow of trade in and out of the quarantined zone is halted, and goods in the process of being shipped could go bad — depending on how long it lasts.
Social impacts: Historically, the aggressive control needed in a quarantine can link the disease to marginalized people and potentially fuel existing anxieties about race and class. There was a “long history of quarantine being misused as a social separator, rather than a public health one,” Markel said.
Trust and cooperation are key: The trust and cooperation of the public is the most important thing for officials to have in a public health crisis, said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University and director of the World Health Organization’s Center on Global Health Law. Without it, people won’t come in for testing and won’t share the names of people they’ve been in contact with — a vital part of the strategy to prevent the spread of disease.
8 Wuhan coronavirus cases now confirmed in Thailand
Eight cases of the Wuhan coronavirus have been confirmed in Thailand, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Sunday, according to a government statement.
Among the eight, five have already returned home, while three are being treated in the hospitals and supervised by the Ministry of Public Health, the statement says.
Thailand is among the most popular global destinations for Chinese tourists. More than ten million Chinese visit Thailand every year, according to official figures.28 min ago
80 dead, 2,744 cases have now been confirmed in mainland China
The Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread around the world having already killed dozens of people and infected more than 2,700 people in mainland China.
Here’s the latest numbers:
- As of the end of the day Sunday, 2,744 cases were confirmed in mainland China.
- 80 people are dead, all in mainland China.
- 55 people outside mainland China have tested positive in the following places: Australia (4 cases), France (3 cases), Hong Kong (8 cases), Japan (4 cases), Macao (5 cases), Malaysia (4 cases), Nepal (1 case), Singapore (4 cases), South Korea (3 cases), Taiwan (4 cases), Thailand (8 cases), United States (5 cases) and Vietnam (2 cases)
China’s National Health Commission said 461 people have severe cases of the virus and there are 5,794 suspected cases in mainland China.55 min ago
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus
There are more than 2,700 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 80 deaths in China. Worldwide concern is mounting about the rate of its spread. Here’s what you need to know:
- Outbreak in China: 2,744 cases have been confirmed in mainland China, and 80 people are dead. There are full or partial lockdowns in 15 Chinese cities in an effort to limit the virus’s spread.
- Global spread: There are now 50 cases confirmed around the world, in the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, France, Australia, and more. Some countries are trying to evacuate their citizens out of Wuhan, the city at the epicenter of the outbreak.
- Contagious before symptoms: People can spread the virus before symptoms show, China warned on Sunday — meaning people may have been spreading the virus without knowing they were ill.
- Wild animal ban: The sale of all wild animals has been banned, the Chinese government announced Sunday. The outbreak has been linked to a market that sold wild animals in Wuhan.
- Stretched hospitals: Videos and witness accounts in Wuhan show packed hospitals and overworked staff. A new, 1,000-bed hospital is being built on the city’s outskirts, to be ready by February 3. About 1,600 medical professionals are being sent to the city on Sunday and Monday.
Ajay singh chauhan 