Artist’s illustration of a Coronavirus. CREDIT: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Artists: Alissa Eckert, MS, Dan Higgins, MAM
Coronavirus, or more correctly, COVID-19, is a disease that was detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019, and has started spreading to nearby countries, and in the last few weeks to the rest of the world. This virus belongs to the Corona type viruses, named because of the crown (corona is crown in latin) shaped structures on the outer layer of it.
This virus, is NOT getting out of control, there are many protocols that have been activated, and thanks to the SARS virus in 2003 we are better prepared to handle diseases like this. One thing that is very important, is not to panic, and always get your news from reliable sources, like the World Health Organization. There is a great deal of misinformation on the internet, specially on social networks.
According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Situation Report 34 on this disease, there are 78,811 cases confirmed, from which a little over 74,000 are in China. (Date: 23 Feb 2020)
Figure 1. Countries, territories or areas with reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, 23 February 2020. CREDIT: World Health Organization.
There is a website that has a map that is very interactive and up to date with WHO information, you can access it here:
http://who.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/c88e37cfc43b4ed3baf977d77e4a0667
So, should we worry about it? YES, but that doesn’t mean that we have to panic. It is spreading but we all have a part in this. The first thing we have to do is to follow hygiene guidelines (always), and try to stop the spread of the disease, especially if you live or are visiting the most infected countries like China, Japan or Korea.
Here are some guidelines and information from the World Health Organization.
Ok so when is a vaccine going to be ready? WHO’s chief says it could be ready in 18 months. So for now, containment and hygiene are the most powerful weapons we have. Everyone, especially people in infected countries, have the responsibility on their hands, literally, to stop the spread. Also if someone is feeling sick, they must stay away from people, particularly from crowds.
SOURCES:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019