Just a few weeks ago, scientists were hopeful that the new coronavirus would stay within the boundaries of China. Now they know that, at best, its spread can only be minimized. Governments around the world are guardedly planning for the worst scenarios.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern to strengthen developing countries in protecting themselves against the virus. WHO first identified this new viral strain on December 21, 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The area has been in a total “lockdown” since then, especially due to the area’s huge population of 60 million people, beginning to quickly spread the virus. The malady is known scientifically as the Novel 2019-nCoV virus. On January 16, 2020, the Chinese government confirmed the first viral case in a person who had traveled from an outside country to China’s mainland in recent weeks.
What is a coronavirus?
Coronaviruses make up a large family of international viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as SARS and MERS. Novel (new) 2019-nCoV had not been identified previously in humans. A WGN television report (January 24), clarified the situation, as it informed its audience, “It is not clear just how lethal this coronavirus is, or even whether it is as dangerous as ordinary flu which kills tens of thousands of people every year in the U.S. alone. Scientists say it is also not clear if it spreads as easily as SARS, its genetic cousin, which also originated in China and killed about 800 people in 2002.”
The TV report continued, “The rapid increase in reported deaths and illnesses does not necessarily mean the crisis is getting worse. It could instead reflect better monitoring and reporting of the newly discovered virus, which can cause cold and flu-like symptoms, including cough, fever and shortness of breath, but can worsen to pneumonia.”
The United States government is currently making plans with its military bases to set up a quarantine period (two weeks) for potentially 1,000 Americans evacuated from Hubei province, the epidemic’s epicenter. Activated emergency programs, to isolate the possible infected, could range from specialized facilities to hotels. If necessary, some hospitals have stocked tents to be used as isolation wards. Several international airlines, including our own commercial aircraft, have stopped or scaled back their routes to China at the behest of their countries. Companies such as Google, IKEA, Starbucks, and Tesla have closed their doors or stopped operations in China. Even two cruise ships in Italy and Japan, with possible viral spread, have been quarantined for a brief period of time.
As of February 6 the outbreak has claimed 28,168 people sick in China’s mainland, 563 of which have resulted in death. Twelve viral cases have been confirmed in the U.S., along with twenty-seven other world countries registering, a total of 286 patients having contacted the highly contagious disease. Two deaths have been noted on the non-Chinese “world stage.”
A local Illinoisan, who had traveled to Wuhan for two weeks, became the second American patient with the contagion. The Northwest suburban female in her 60s also became the first documented case outside of China to transmit the disease to her husband in a person-to-person viral exchange. He is now self-medicating and self-isolating. She is doing well at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates.
Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, recently informed us that while most of the cases do appear mild, the problem is if the contagion would spread to more vulnerable patients where the outcome could be more deadly. The director added, “Our goal is to slow this thing down.”
WHO’s director agreed, “Although the numbers outside China are still relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak.”
Messonnier added, “This is an unprecedented situation and we are taking aggressive measures. We are preparing as if this were the next pandemic (a world-wide epidemic).”
Many scientists suspect that an unknown animal might have spread the virus to humans at the Wuhan live seafood and wild animal market this past December. The question remains: “What is the name of the intermediate host that infected the people?”
Many researchers are skeptical that the animal host or hosts can be identified without further lab and field testing. Other research also continues in efforts to contain the pest. On February 4, the CDC developed a new test, cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, allowing patient samples to be tested locally, saving time and achieving results faster, instead of being sent to its Atlanta headquarters. Meanwhile, the CDC has been trying to get a team on the ground in China, but hasn’t been able to so far. Researchers are also racing to develop a vaccine as a future preventative. One California lab has plans for a potential vaccine to enter human trials by June or July. In addition, an experimental drug, in limited amounts, has been provided for future emergency treatment.
If you experience any suspected flu-like symptoms, seek help. Symptoms may appear in as few as 2 days or as many as 14 days after exposure. Follow the same “common sense” behavior of isolating yourself as much as possible from others, getting medical treatment, wearing a facemask, covering your coughs and sneezes, washing your hands, avoiding sharing household items, monitoring your symptoms, and avoiding contact with pets as not to spread germs to them. If you suspect that you might have been exposed to the coronavirus, call ahead at once and tell your health provider so that he might be prepared for you.
