The Chinese born 2019-nCoV, that quickly became famous as Novel Coronavirus worldwide, led cities to be sealed off, caused airlines to cancel flights to and from China and disrupted global supply chains. As the death toll soared to 304 in China and suspected cases reached the 20,000 mark, Philippines confirmed its first victim. This also marked the demise of the first patient outside of the epicenter and started the terror of the virus on a mass scale, compelling the supranational body, WHO to increase its assessment of the global risk from moderate to high.
Crux of the Matter
What is Corona Virus? They are a group of viruses that cause respiratory tract illnesses, including the common cold, but can be lethal for infants, the elderly and patients with weak or compromised immune systems, as per the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To the scientists’ horror, this viral pathogen’s previous incarnation was responsible for the 2012 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in Saudi Arabia and the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory (SARS) outbreak in China, making the latter a regular defaulter.
Transmission and Precautions Initially, it was thought that 2019-nCoV escalated through human contact with animals because the source of the outbreak was believed to be fishes and live animal markets having bats and snakes in Wuhan. However Chinese authorities have confirmed that human-to-human contact can act as a transmitter as well. Germany and Japan have verified this report after observing the domestic transmission of the virus from a person who had recently visited Wuhan to someone who had not visited the city or China in general. The CDC noted that symptoms may emerge between 2 – 14 days after exposure to the virus. As a fight back measure to prevent its further global escalation, World Health Organization (WHO) has advised travel restrictions on people with flu-like symptoms. The sale of live poultry has been banned in the affected areas. Infrared thermometers have been installed at airports, railway stations, long-distance bus stations and ferry terminals for the screening of all passengers. Following a consultation, the patients will then undergo laboratory-based diagnostic testing for the virus and would be quarantined if tested positive.
China – The Déjà-Vu Epicenter Even back in the SARS days, Chinese authorities were trapped in a controversy about the alleged cover-up of the impacts of the virus which may have been responsible for 8,000 cases and around 800 deaths. This time around, it started on 31 December 2019, when a case of pneumonia with an unknown cause in Wuhan, Hubei province, was reported to the WHO’s China Office. As more and more cases emerged, totaling 44 by 3 January, the country’s National Health Commission isolated the virus causing fever and flu-like symptoms.
Global Scare Earlier in January 2020, WHO had convened an emergency meeting with the Chinese authorities and President Xi Jinping, to discuss whether the 2019-nCoV outbreak should be declared as a public health emergency and what recommendations should be made on how to manage the condition. However, till then the virus had traveled from the city of Wuhan in China to Taiwan, Thailand, Korea and spread throughout Asia with cases in Singapore, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Nepal, Malaysia, and India. Outside the Asian continent, new cases of the disease unfurled in France, Germany, the UAE, Canada, and Australia. As per Financial Times, the US CDC’s report about the emergence of the virus in physically well-protected US caused the benchmark S&P 500 stock index to slide 0.3%.
India’s Plan of Action The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare of India confirmed the first case of coronavirus on 30 January 2020 followed by the second one on 02 February. Even if the person was in a stable condition during the monitoring process, the e-visas issued to those in China were revoked and the ones already issued were canceled temporarily.
Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) advice for the public: #MythBusters #coronavirus What are the simple measures that can prevent us from getting infected by #Coronavirus(2019-nCoV)? Courtesy: @WHO@WHO pic.twitter.com/yvrVaIbrNA — NDMA India (@ndmaindia) February 4, 2020
As per the current numbers by national authority sources, the highest number of suspected cases in India is in Kerala while suspects have been reported in other states including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Maharastra, Telangana, Karnataka, and Rajasthan.
Medical Route to Care As of February 4, 2020, no specific treatment options are available for this particular strain of the virus. Various researchers are using the genetic code of virus shared by the Chinese Government to support the development of vaccines specifically against 2019-nCoV. Some companies are investigating whether existing anti-viral drugs like Tamiflu could be successfully repurposed to treat this novel type of coronavirus. The Norway-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is one group leading the field. It has funded three projects in collaboration with the US National Institutes of Health and National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Thailand though seems to have made some headway by seeing positive results after administering a cocktail of Anti-virals and HIV medication on a Chinese patient.
Curiopedia
Virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. It can infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. About 5,000 virus species have been described in detail, although there are millions of types. Viruses are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth and are the most numerous type of biological entity. The study of viruses is known as virology, a sub-specialty of microbiology. More Info
Pandemic is an epidemic of disease that has spread across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic. Further, flu pandemics generally exclude recurrences of seasonal flu. Throughout history, there have been a number of pandemics, such as smallpox and tuberculosis. One of the most devastating pandemics was the Black Death, which killed an estimated 100 million people in the 14th century. Some recent pandemics include HIV, Spanish flu, 2009 flu pandemic, and H1N1. More Info
Curated Coverage
India Today – What is a coronavirus? Here is your complete visual guide
The New York Times – More Than 7,700 Cases of Coronavirus Recorded Worldwide
CNN – 7,000 people held on cruise ship in Italy as Wuhan coronavirus fears spread
The Guardian – How does coronavirus spread and how can you protect yourself?
Live Mint – Coronavirus update: India reports first case in Kerala
Summachar – WHO Rings Warning Bells Worldwide After Emergence Of China’s Coronavirus Linked To SARS
Financial Times – The scientist leading the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine
Bloomberg – Coronavirus Misinformation Is Spreading All Over Social Media
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