In December 2019, an outbreak of pneumonia began in China’s Hubei province. The cause of the disease was unknown at the time and those believed to have the disease were isolated and closely observed. The Lancet reports cases of this virus have since appeared in Thailand, Japan, Korea, the USA, Vietnam, and Singapore. The virus is spread through human-to-human contact and is thus, highly contagious. According to The New York Times, the death toll has reached 80 in China and more people are infected each day. 110 people in the US are being carefully monitored for the virus and Canada is believed to have identified its second case.
During the outbreak of this epidemic, the Chinese government has received harsh criticism across social media for its reaction to the situation. Hospitals are overflowing with patients and the country’s healthcare system is struggling to provide adequate resources and services to meet the demand. Residence panic and head to the hospital at the first sign of any sickness and China’s efforts to contain the disease have been met with skepticism. Major cities within China’s Hubei Province have been put on lockdown, but health professionals in other countries believe this will do little to prevent the disease from spreading.
The wife of the first man to test positive for coronavirus in Canada is now also believed to have been infected. The couple contracted the disease while visiting Wuhan, China before returning home to Toronto. The New York Times reports that of the 110 suspected cases of coronavirus in the US, five have tested positive while 32 have tested negative. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases says this number will increase and the CDC’s intelligence and response are constantly being updated to deal with this epidemic.
Abby Haslem - Copy Editor