2020/01/21

Fourth Person Dies of China Virus as Human Transmission Is Confirmed

The outbreak of a virus originating in central China entered a new phase of severity as multiple medical workers were reported to have been infected and the death count grew to four people. The spread to medical workers indicates that the illness is more easily transmitted than previously thought, bringing it to a higher risk level reminiscent of the SARS pandemic 17 years ago that killed 800 people. As hundreds of millions of Chinese prepare to travel across the country and globally for the Lunar New Year, the latest developments are raising alarms that the novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan will spread more rapidly.“ The risk from this virus causing pandemonium has increased because it is spreading from different countries, and we are now seeing that it can be more easily transmitted from person to person,” said Sanjaya Senanayake, associate professor of medicine at the Australian National University. In comparison with SARS, he said, “the one good factor, I guess, at the moment seems to be the low mortality rate”.-  Bloomberg


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