Washing Hands Is Way More Important Than Wearing Masks When Trying To Stave Off Coronavirus, Experts Say
Public health experts offer insight on the coronavirus. While the illness is spreading quickly, scientists say it does seem less deadly than previous outbreaks caused by the same type of virus. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are racing to come up with a vaccine.
The New York Times:
Many In China Wear Them, But Do Masks Block Coronavirus?
Chinese authorities have encouraged people in the city of Wuhan to wear surgical masks in public to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus. The question is: do they work? Many infectious disease specialists say the cheap disposable masks, which cover the nose and mouth, may help prevent the spread of infections if they are worn properly and used consistently. (Rabin, 1/23)
Reuters:
Wuhan Virus Does Not Appear To Be As Deadly As SARS, Singapore PM Says
Singapore's prime minister said on Friday that the city-state was well prepared to tackle the Wuhan flu virus, adding that it did not appear to be as deadly as the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pandemic. The Southeast Asian city-state, a global travel hub, on Thursday confirmed its first case of the coronavirus strain, which originated in China, and said another case has preliminarily tested positive. (1/24)
The Washington Post:
How Does Coronavirus Spread? What We Know So Far
Global health officials have almost as many questions as answers about the mysterious, pneumonia-like virus that originated in China last month and has spread to at least five other countries, including the United States. How exactly is it transmitted? How infectious is it and, most critically, how deadly? They do know that the new virus is believed to have come from animals sold in a Wuhan market and that it shares many similarities with SARS, the coronavirus that also originated in an animal-to-human transmission in China in 2002, though it does not appear to be as deadly. (Abutaleb, 1/23)
Boston Globe:
What You Need To Know About The New Coronavirus
A newly discovered virus has sickened hundreds of people in China and several others in Asia, with 18 deaths reported so far. And a person traveling from China to Washington state was confirmed this week as the first case on US soil. But despite international jitters over the emerging disease, a new variety of coronavirus, the World Health Organization decided on Thursday that it’s too early to declare a public health emergency, although it’s still monitoring the outbreak and seeking more information. (Freyer, 1/23)
Los Angeles Times:
Everything You Need To Know As The China Coronavirus Spreads
A traveler who arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on a flight from Mexico City was taken to a hospital early Thursday for an evaluation. The unidentified passenger arrived on American Airlines Flight 2546 shortly before 6:40 p.m. Wednesday and was screened by CDC officers at LAX. Based on their recommendation, an ambulance was called shortly after midnight to take the person to a hospital, said Heath Montgomery, an LAX spokesman. Health officials expect to find more patients with the virus. “We do expect additional cases in the U.S. and globally,” Messonnier said. (Baumgaertner, Karlamangla and Fry, 1/23)
Bloomberg:
What Is Coronavirus: Mapping The Pneumonia-Like Respiratory Illness In China, Globally
An outbreak of a pneumonia-like illness that started in the city of Wuhan has put health authorities on high alert in China and around the world. The new coronavirus—named 2019-nCoV—is thought to have originated in the food market of the central China metropolis and has since infected hundreds of people. (Sam, Whiteaker and Recht, 1/24)
Stat:
Four 'Generations' Of Spread Seen With Virus In China, Alarming Experts
Emerging data on the new virus circulating in China adds to evidence there is sustained human-to-human transmission in the city of Wuhan, and that a single case was able to ignite a chain of other infections. The World Health Organization reported Thursday that there have been at least four generations of spread of the new virus, provisionally called 2019-nCoV, meaning a person who contracted the virus from a non-human source — presumably an animal — has infected a person, who infected another person, who then infected another person. It’s not clear from a WHO statement whether transmission petered out after that point, or whether further generations of cases from those chains are still to come. (Branswell, 1/23)
Bloomberg:
No Fever In Some China Virus Carriers Makes Detection Harder
China’s new deadly virus is more difficult to contain than other pandemics because those infected may not get a fever, a symptom governments around the world are using to screen for the pathogen. The National Health Commission told local governments and hospitals on Jan. 18 that some of those with the virus may not have a fever and the pathogen’s incubation period could be up to two weeks, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named discussing the situation. (Bloomberg News, 1/23)
The Wall Street Journal:
Drugmakers Rush To Develop Vaccines Against China Virus
Several drugmakers are racing to develop vaccines that could protect against the new respiratory virus originating in China, as fears mount it could spread more widely. Moderna Inc., Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Novavax Inc. said Thursday they plan to develop vaccines against the newly identified viral strain, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia are also trying to develop a vaccine against the strain. (Loftus and McKay, 1/23)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Philly-Area Company Gets $9 Million Grant To Develop Vaccine For New Chinese Coronavirus
Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Plymouth Meeting announced Thursday that it received a grant of up to $9 million to rapidly develop a vaccine for the new coronavirus that is spreading in China and sparking screenings at some U.S. airports. (Burling, 1/23)
