What Is Coronavirus?

Lauren M. Sauer, M.S.

Corona viruses are a type of virus. There are many different kinds, and some cause
disease. A newly identified type, called 2019 novel coronavirus, has caused a recent
outbreak of respiratory illness that started in China. Lauren Sauer, M.S., the director of
operations with the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response
and director of research with the Johns Hopkins Biocontainment Unit, shares
information about 2019 novel corona virus and what you need to know.

How is 2019 novel corona virus spread?

Recent information indicates 2019 novel corona virus, also called 2019-nCoV, may be
passed from person to person. There are still a lot of unknowns, including how
contagious it might be.

The spread of this new coronavirus is being monitored by the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC), the World Health Organization and health organizations like Johns
Hopkins across the globe. On Jan. 30, the World Health Organization declared the 2019
novel corona virus outbreak a public health emergency.

How did 2019 novel corona virus spread to humans?

2019 novel corona virus appeared in Wuhan, a city in China, in December 2019.
Although health officials are still tracing the exact source of this new corona virus, early
hypotheses thought it may be linked to a seafood market in Wuhan, China. Some
people who visited the market developed viral pneumonia caused by 2019 novel corona
virus. A study that came out on Jan. 25, 2020, notes that the individual with the first
reported case became ill on Dec. 1, 2019, and had no link to the seafood market.
Investigations are ongoing as to how this virus originated and spread.

This virus probably originally emerged from an animal source but now seems to be
spreading from person to person. The virus has been detected in people throughout
China and 27 other countries, including the United States.

What is the incubation period for 2019 novel coronavirus?

It appears that symptoms are showing up in people within 14 days of exposure to the
virus.

What are the symptoms of 2019 novel coronavirus?

2019 novel coronavirus causes viral pneumonia, with symptoms including:

 Cough
 Fever
 Shortness of breath
 In rare cases, it can lead to severe respiratory problems, kidney failure or death.

If you believe you have these symptoms and you have traveled to Wuhan, China,
within 14 days, contact your health care provider.

How is 2019 novel corona virus diagnosed?

Diagnosis may be difficult with only a physical exam because mild cases of the new
corona virus may appear similar to the flu or a bad cold. A laboratory test can confirm
the diagnosis.

How is 2019 novel coronavirus treated?

As of now, there is not a specific treatment for the virus. People who become sick from
this coronavirus should be treated with supportive measures: those that relieve
symptoms. For severe cases, there may be additional options for treatment, including
research drugs and therapeutics.

Does the 2019 novel coronavirus cause death?

As of Feb. 3, 2020, 361 deaths have been attributed to the virus.

How do you protect yourself from 2019 novel coronavirus?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has these suggestions:

 Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds. Use alcohol-based
hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.
 Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
 Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
 Stay home when you are sick
 Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects people frequently touch

What are the precautions for coronavirus?

Several health agencies in China and other countries, including the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) in the United States and the World Health Organization (WHO), are
keeping a careful eye on this coronavirus and taking steps to prevent illness from
spreading.

For updates, visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

2019 Novel Coronavirus

What you need to know from Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Learn more

About Coronaviruses
  Coronaviruses are common in different animals. Rarely, an animal coronavirus can infect
humans.
 There are many different kinds of coronaviruses. Some of them can cause colds or other
mild respiratory (nose, throat, lung) illnesses.
 Other coronaviruses can cause more serious diseases, including severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
 Coronaviruses are named for their appearance: Under the microscope, the viruses look
like they are covered with pointed structures that surround them like a corona, or crown.

 News 
 AJ Impact
 AJ Go
 Documentaries 
 Shows 
 Investigations
 Opinion
 More 

 Live


 NEWS
 /
 CHINA

Coronavirus: All you need to

know about symptoms and
risks
Countries around the world are stepping up efforts
to tackle a new coronavirus that originated in
China's Wuhan city.
 8 hours ago




MORE ON CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

 Coronavirus: Which countries have confirmed cases?today

 China coronavirus outbreak: All the latest updatestoday
 The political cost of the coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kongtoday
 Can China handle the economic turmoil of its viral outbreak?today
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global health
emergency over a new coronavirus that has killed at least 425 people in
mainland China and two more elsewhere following an outbreak in the central
Chinese city of Wuhan.

More than 20,438 cases have been reported worldwide, most of them in
China's Hubei province. A man from Wuhan also died in the Philippines on
February 2 and Hong Kong reported its first death on February 4.

More:
 Over a thousand 'likely' infected by Wuhan virus in China: Study
 Asia taking no chances with new China virus as WHO meeting looms
 China reports first death from mysterious outbreak in Wuhan
The infection is now more widespread than the 2002-2003 severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak, which also originated in China, in
terms of affected people but not deaths.

Here is what you need to know:

What is coronavirus?
According to the WHO, coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illness
ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as SARS and
Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

These viruses were originally transmitted between animals and people. SARS,
for instance, was believed to have been transmitted from civet cats to humans
while MERS travelled from a type of camel to humans.
Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet
infected humans.

The name coronavirus comes from the Latin word corona, meaning crown or
halo. Under an electron microscope, the image of the virus is reminiscent of a
solar corona.

A novel coronavirus, identified by Chinese authorities on January 7 and

named 2019-nCoV, is a new strain that had not been previously identified in
humans.

Little is known about it, although human-to-human transmission has been

confirmed.

What are the symptoms?

According to the WHO, signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of
breath and breathing difficulties.

In more severe cases, it can lead to pneumonia, SARS, kidney failure and even
death.

The incubation period of the coronavirus remains unknown. Some sources say
it could be between 10 and 14 days.
How deadly is it?
Some experts say it may not be as deadly as other types of coronavirus such as
SARS, which killed nearly 800 people worldwide, more than 300 in China
alone - during a 2002-2003 outbreak that also originated in China.

MERS, which did not spread as widely, was more deadly, killing one-third of
those it infected.

In China, however, the infection is more widespread than SARS in terms of

case numbers.

Where have cases been reported?

Most cases and deaths have been reported in China - the vast majority in
Hubei Province.

So far, Hong Kong and the Philippines have reported a death from the new
virus outside of mainland China. 

The virus has spread to many Asian countries, as well as Australia, Europe,
North America and the Middle East. The majority of cases outside China are
among people who recently travelled there.

Read more about which countries have confirmed cases here.

What is being done to stop it from spreading?

Scientists are working on a vaccine but have warned one is unlikely to be
available for mass distribution before 2021.

Chinese authorities have effectively sealed off Wuhan, and have placed

restrictions on travel to and from several other cities, affecting some 56
million people.

The move was meant to "resolutely contain the momentum of the epidemic
spreading" and protect lives, the central city's special command centre against
the virus said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Many airlines have cancelled flights to China, while some countries have
banned Chinese nationals from entering and have evacuated their citizens
from Wuhan.

Where did the virus originate?

Chinese health authorities are still trying to determine the origin of the virus,
which they say likely came from a seafood market in Wuhan where wildlife
was also traded illegally.

The WHO also says an animal source appears most likely to be the primary
source of the outbreak.

On February 2, officials in Hubei said the virus had a 96 percent concordance

with an already-known bat-borne coronavirus. Chinese scientists previously
mentioned snakes as a possible source.

Is this a global emergency?

The outbreak constitutes a global health emergency, the WHO has said.

The decision to sound the top-level alarm was made after the first cases of
human-to-human transmission outside China were confirmed.

The international health alert is a call on countries around the world to

coordinate their response under the guidance of the United Nations health
agency.

There have been five global health emergencies since 2005 when the
declaration was formalised: swine flu in 2009; polio in 2014; Ebola in 2014;
Zika in 2016 and Ebola again in 2019.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

 Coronavirus outbreak

 China

 Health

 World Health Organization

  Asia Pacific
Have your say.Give us feedback.

Sign up for ourNewsletter.

Advertisement
Advertisement

 NEWS
 /
 CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

China coronavirus outbreak: All

the latest updates
Global death toll reaches 427 with two reported dead
outside mainland China as infection rate passes
20,500 cases.
04 Feb 2020 12:57 GMT

Hong Kong reported its first death from the coronavirus on Tuesday - only the
second outside China - as the death toll from the outbreak rose to at least 425
and China admitted "shortcomings and difficulties" in its response to the flu-
like infection.

The Hong Kong victim was a 39-year-old man from Wuhan, where the virus
first originated, who had underlying health problems, the authorities said. It
was the second death recorded outside China - the first was in the Philippines
on Sunday.

Meanwhile, China's National Health Commission reported 64 new fatalities as

of midnight on Monday - the biggest daily increase since the virus was first
detected late last year. Wuhan, and the surrounding province of Hubei, have
been effectively sealed off from the rest of the country for more than a week.

There are now 20,438 people confirmed to have the infection in mainland
China.
More:
 Coronavirus: All you need to know about the symptoms and risks
 Dispelling the myths around the new coronavirus outbreak
 Coronavirus: Which countries have confirmed new cases?
Late on Monday, the Standing Committee of the Politburo - the country's top
leadership - met in Beijing and acknowledged "shortcomings and difficulties"
in China's response to the outbreak.

"This very rare sort of language to hear," Al Jazeera's Adrian Brown said from
Hong Kong, where he is reporting from the border. "This was the senior
leadership of the party essentially admitting they had failed the people. They
said officials who had made mistakes would be punished. And they said China
would have to improve the way it responded to this sort of national emergency
in the future."   

Other countries have rushed to evacuate their citizens from Hubei and its
capital city, Wuhan, while many have also imposed extraordinary travel
restrictions on travellers to and from China.

More than 150 cases have been reported in two dozen other countries, with the
United States reporting the second case of human-to-human transmission on
Monday.

Here are the latest updates:

Tuesday, February 4
Russia sends military planes to evacuate citizens
Russia has sent military planes to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan. More
than 130 Russian nationals are expected to be brought back to Russia by
Tuesday.

The Russian Ambassador to China, Andrey Denisov, said Russia received

written permission from Chinese authorities on Tuesday to send the planes.

"Believe me, it was not an easy procedure - obtaining such permits," he said.
 Reports of anti-Chinese views in Philippines over coronavirus (02:22)

American Airlines suspends flights to and from Hong Kong

American Airlines Group, the largest US carrier, said it had suspended all its
flights to and from Hong Kong.

A spokeswoman said the airline's suspension of its Hong Kong flights to and
from Los Angeles and Dallas would continue through February 20.

Chinese racer Ma in quarantine for Mexican Formula E

race
China's only Formula E driver Ma Qinghua has gone into quarantine in
Mexico ahead of the country's race on February 15.

Ma's Nio 333 team said in a statement that Chinese employees who had gone
home for the Chinese New Year celebrations after last month's race in Chile
were well and preparing for the Mexico City round.

"In a responsible manner toward the championship and personnels involved

in Formula E, Chinese driver Ma Qinghua arrived in Mexico City on the 2nd of
February to ensure a 14-day quarantine period prior to the race," the team
added.

Britain tells its citizens to leave China if they can

Britain told its citizens to leave China if they could after airlines suspended
flights, making it increasingly difficult to get out.

In an update to its travel advice, the Foreign Office also said some staff and
dependants from the British Embassy and consulates were being withdrawn
from China.

Essential staff, such as those providing consular assistance, would remain.

Matches involving Chinese clubs in the Asian Champions
League postponed
Matches involving Chinese clubs in the Asian Champions League have been
postponed for the first three match days because of the coronavirus outbreak,
the ruling body, Asian Football Confederation, said.

But the AFC also said after an emergency meeting in Kuala Lumpur that one
match, Thailand's Chiangrai United v Beijing, would remain set for match day
two on February 18 as the Chinese team was training in South Korea and did
not quarantine measures.

The outbreak also prompted the Chinese women's handball team not to
participate in a Tokyo 2020 Olympics qualifying tournament next month;
while Formula One teams are to discuss the fate of the April 19 Chinese Grand
Prix in Shanghai on Wednesday.

Uzbekistan evacuates 250 from China

Uzbekistan has evacuated 250 people from China and will place them in
quarantine after their arrival shortly in Tashkent, the Central Asian nation's
state airline said.

Uzbekistan Airways said in a statement the passengers were being

accompanied by doctors and specialists with protective equipment.

Ukraine's last planned plane from China to arrive in Kyiv

The last planned Ukrainian flight from China before a ban over coronavirus is
enforced was due to arrive in Kyiv shortly with about 200 passengers on
board, Ukraine International Airlines said.

It said the plane, coming from the Chinese resort town of Sanya, was due to
land at 2:28 pm local time (12:28 GMT).

Deputy director of Kyiv's Boryspil airport last week said Ukraine would
suspend direct flights to China over coronavirus fears from February 4.

Coronavirus: Pressure grows for Hong Kong to close border (06:08)

Thailand approves price controls for face masks
The Thai government has approved measures to control the prices of face
masks and hand-sanitising gel after a reported lack of supplies.

A proposal to place the products on the state price control list was approved by
the cabinet, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said.

Businesses that produce or sell goods on the list are required to inform
authorities of production costs and seek approval before making price
changes.

WHO: World currently 'not in a pandemic' of coronavirus

Sylvie Briand, director of global infectious hazard preparedness at the World
Health Organization (WHO), said: "Currently we are not in a pandemic", we
are at a phase where we have an epidemic of coronavirus with multiple foci
and we try to extinguish each of these foci.

She also said the WHO was working with different countries on repatriation of
people from China, having "intense discussions to see how we can harmonise
the practices".

Briand said the WHO currently has no evidence of mutation of the virus,
adding that "it is quite a stable virus".
Sylvie Briand, director of global infectious hazard preparedness at WHO [Denis Balibouse/Reuters]

Singapore announces first local coronavirus transmissions

Singapore's Ministry of Health said it had found six additional cases, four of
them involving human-to-human transmission within Singapore, bringing the
total infections to 24 in the city-state.

"Though four of these cases constitute a local transmission cluster, there is as

yet no evidence of widespread sustained community transmission in
Singapore," the ministry said in a statement.
Thailand confirms six new cases
Thailand confirmed six new cases, four of them Thai nationals and two
Chinese.

The four Thai people included a couple who had visited Japan and two drivers
who had picked up Chinese passengers in Thailand, the health ministry said.

The new cases brought the total reported in the country to 25.

Jeweller Pandora says China business at 'standstill'

Pandora's business in China has ground to a halt, the jewellery maker and
retailer said, as a new flu-like virus forced the company to shut around a third
of its stores in one of its top markets as shoppers stay at home.

"As I sit here and watch the Chinese business, it is in a standstill mode, I mean
there's pennies being sold," Chief Executive Alexander Lacik told Reuters,
describing an "unprecedented" drop in business.

Pandora has closed 70 of its 240 shops in China on the order of the
government and at its remaining ones, mostly in shopping malls, customer
traffic is "next to none", Lacik said.

Philippines monitoring 105 patients

The Philippines Department of Health said 105 people in the country were
now under observation for possible novel coronavirus infection.

Can China handle the economic turmoil of its viral

outbreak?
One analyst says the crisis may provide the government with the excuse it
needs to miss its growth target.

Read the story here.

Cambodian PM to visit students in Wuhan for moral
support
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said he will visit Cambodian students in
Wuhan to give them moral support following criticism of his decision not to
repatriate them.

Hun Sen, a close ally of China, said he would fly there on Wednesday from
South Korea, where he is attending a summit, and that he had informed
Chinese authorities of his trip.

He said in a post on his Facebook page he would visit the students to "to show
them warmth and to make sure they are not scared of the new type of
infectious coronavirus".

Hyundai suspends domestic production

South Korea's largest automaker, Hyundai Motor Company, will suspend all
domestic production this week because of a lack of parts due to the
coronavirus outbreak in China, it said.

"Hyundai Motor has decided to suspend its production lines from operating at
all of its plants in Korea," the carmaker said in a statement.

The order of suspensions would vary, it said, but all production would cease by
the end of the week.

Japan's ANA to slash flights to Beijing from Tokyo

Japan's biggest carrier ANA Holdings said it will slash the number of flights
between Tokyo and Beijing by two-thirds beginning February 10, for at least
seven weeks.

ANA will reduce flights from Tokyo's two airports, Haneda and Narita, to the
Chinese capital from 21 flights per week to seven, the airline said in a
statement.

ANA's local rival Japan Airlines Co, in a separate statement, said it also
planned to reduce services to China over the next several weeks, including
cancellations and the use of smaller aircraft on some routes.
Repatriated Belgian tests positive for coronavirus
A Belgian person, one of nine repatriated from Wuhan in China on Sunday,
has tested positive for the coronavirus, Belgium's health agency said.

The agency said all nine people had undergone a series of tests in a military
hospital in the capital, Brussels. Eight of them tested negative.

No details were given about the person who tested positive, but the agency
said they were in good health and not currently showing any symptoms of the
virus.

Malaysia confirms first citizen infected with virus, total

cases now 10
Malaysian health authorities confirmed the first citizen to be infected with the
new coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country
to 10.

They said the 41-year-old Malaysian had travelled to Singapore for a meeting
last month with colleagues from China - including one from Wuhan. But he
only showed symptoms on January 29, nearly a week after he returned to
Malaysia.

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said lab results on February 3 confirmed

that the man, along with a 63-year-old man from Wuhan who had been under
observation, had contracted the virus.

China moves virus patients into new facilities

China has begun moving patients suffering from the deadly new virus into
rapidly built or adapted facilities, although the degree of medical isolation
among them appears to vary widely.

The first 50 patients were moved into Huoshenshan Hospital, a pre-fabricated

structure on the outskirts of the city of Wuhan.
Taiwan to restrict entry of foreigners from China
Taiwan's foreign ministry said the island will deny entry to all foreign
nationals who had been to China during the past 14 days, starting from Friday.

The new incoming travel ban includes all foreign nationals who have been in
China since February 7, Taiwan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

It extends an existing ban on visitors from China but does not include visitors
from Hong Kong and Macau.

Macau to close casinos for two weeks over virus

Macau will close all its casinos for two weeks because of the coronavirus, the
leader of the semi-autonomous territry announced.

Gaming forms the backbone of Macau's economy.

"We will suspend the gambling industry and related casino businesses for half
a month," chief executive Ho Iat-seng said.
Gambling is crucial to the economy of Macau, a semi-autonomous territory in southern China [File:
Jason Lee/Reuters]

South Korean woman tests positive for coronavirus after

Thailand visit
A South Korean woman has tested positive for coronavirus after visiting
Thailand, South Korean officials said, the first foreign tourist reported to have
been infected after a visit to the southeast Asian nation.

The 42-year-old, identified only as Patient 16, flew back to South Korea on
January 19 after holidaying in Thailand, the Korea Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement.
Treated since developing chills and other symptoms from January 25, she did
not improve until Sunday, the KCDC added, and was confirmed positive on
Tuesday, following checks at Chonnam National University Hospital.

Chinese cities far from virus epicentre sealed off

Two more cities in China's eastern province of Zhejiang, far from the epicentre
of the health emergency, have restricted the movement of residents.

The city of Taizhou and three Hangzhou districts - including the area that is
home to the main office of Chinese tech giant Alibaba - will only allow one
person from each household to go outside every two days to buy necessities,
city officials said.

Between them the areas are home to more than nine million people.
 Taizhou and three districts of Hangzhou are the latest to impose severe restrictions on residents'
movement [China Daily via Reuters]

China tells domestic airlines not to cut international routes

China's civil aviation authority has urged domestic carriers to continue flying
international routes, except to countries with travel bans as a result of the
coronavirus epidemic, state news agency Xinhua said.

The comments of the Civil Aviation Administration of China were reported on

Xinhua's account on messaging app Weibo.
Malaysia evacuates citizens from Wuhan on chartered
AirAsia jet
Malaysia on Wednesday brought back 107 people - including citizens' non-
Malaysian partners and children -  from Wuhan and placed them in
quarantine for 14 days.

The chartered AirAsia aircraft landed in Kuala Lumpur at 6am (22:00 GMT)
and the evacuees, as well as the 12 crew and 14 government officials on board,
were taken to a separate building for screening, the National Disaster
Management Agency said in a statement.

Of the 107, two did not pass the health screening and were admitted to Kuala
Lumpur's main hospital, it said. 

Taiwan calls China 'vile' for restricting island's access to

WHO on coronavirus
Taiwan's foreign ministry said on Tuesday China is "vile" for restricting the
island's access to the WHO during the coronavirus outbreak, adding to
tensions with Beijing over the health crisis.