Coronavirus Death Toll Rises As Deadly Infections Reach Australia And Europe

KEY POINTS

Coronavirus spreads across the globe
Confirmed cases in the U.S., Australia, France
WHO yet to declare a global health emergency

The newly-discovered coronavirus in Wuhan, China, has claimed close to 41 lives and infected numerous people. Now, the virus, also called 2019-nCoV, has reached the U.S., Australia, and Europe with confirmed cases.

The Chinese government has shut at least eight cities to contain the spread of this deadly coronavirus. However, according to The Daily Beast, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not declared a health emergency.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that a second case of the 2019-nCoV had been confirmed in the U.S. A woman from Chicago who had recently been in Wuhan is the latest confirmed case. The first case of coronavirus in the country was a man in his 30s.

The CDC said in a press conference that in 22 states, there are 63 patients kept under observation, while 11 patients have tested negative.

Meanwhile, in China, the Hubei Provincial Health Committee has released a health report confirming pneumonia cases of coronavirus infection. At least 180 new cases were reported in Hubei province (77 in Wuhan, four in Shiyan, one in Xiaogan City, and 13 in Jingmen). On Friday, Jan. 24, 15 deaths were reported in Wuhan.

Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus

U.S.: 2
China: 923
Singapore: 3
Thailand: 5
Vietnam: 2
France: 3
Japan: 2
Australia: 1
South Korea: 2
Hong Kong: 2
Macau: 2

“Make no mistake. This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one. … It is likely that we will see more cases in other parts of China and other countries,” Tedros Adhanom, WHO Director-General said in a press conference in Geneva.

Meanwhile, airports across the world are screening arriving people by checking their body temperatures. Patients with coronavirus have a dry cough, high body temperature, and shortness of breath.

There are no medicines to fight this new strain of coronavirus. However, the symptoms can be tackled. “The primary objective in an outbreak related to a coronavirus is to give adequate support of care to patients, particularly in terms of respiratory support and multi-organ support,” Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO Health Emergencies Programme revealed.