January 28th, 2020- There are now over 4,600 infected people in China with 106 deaths associated. In the United States, The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has reported that they are investigating 110 possible infections in 26 states. So far, five have tested positive for 2019-nCoV and 32 have come back negative. The remaining 73 test results are pending.
The Chinese health minister has expressed the growing severity of the virus, specifically noting that people could be contagious before exhibiting symptoms, which can appear 2-14 days after exposure. Primary symptoms include fever, cough and difficulty breathing.
The worsening situation has urged China to quarantine more than 50 million people. However, it has been reported that over 5 million people have already left the city of Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus first began.
The Chinese government will also continue to strictly regulate the movement of the 1.4 billion people living in China during the heaviest travel period of the year. Many are still concerned that quarantines and travel restrictions will not stop the deadly outbreak. A scientific forecast of the development of 2019-nCoV showed that with a 90 percent quarantine, there will be at least 59,000 infections and 1,500 deaths. This is twice the loss of the fatal SARS outbreak that occurred between 2002 and 2003.
Healthcare facilities all over America are preparing for potential infected patients’ arrival at their facility. Click here to watch Dr. George Diaz of Providence Regional Medical Center Everett explain the importance of training and preparation, which helped him and his team treat the first U.S. patient diagnosed with 2019-nCoV.
This situation will continue to evolve. Check out the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website to stay updated.
