The Coronavirus in Perspective

STEPHEN JOSEPH – Headlines and Twitter feeds have run rampant over the past several days, sensationalizing the extent of the coronavirus and promoting irrational fear among the public. While the novel coronavirus threat should be taken seriously, it is also important to put it in perspective.

What is a coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that can cause respiratory infections in humans, ranging from milder forms such as the common cold to more severe cases such as SARS and MERS.

Where did it come from?

This novel coronavirus, named “2019-nCoV,” likely originated from either bats or snakes, mutating inside their animal hosts before spreading to humans. The epicenter of the outbreak is currently in Wuhan, China, but cases have been reported in all Chinese provinces and in over 20 countries.

What are the symptoms?

In the majority of cases, the illness presents with fever, cough, and shortness of breath. It can become severe in about 20% of cases, leading to pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome. It is still too early to determine the mortality rate of the virus, as many patients are still ill and have yet to recover.

What has been the global response?
China has quarantined the city of Wuhan and limited travel in the surrounding province of Hubei. While some individual countries have taken steps to curtail the spread of the virus, the lack of a coordinated global effort is largely due to the World Health Organization not yet declaring the virus a “global health emergency.” This declaration would include recommendations on minimizing the cross-border spread of the disease.

Is there a cure?

Since it is a viral infection, there is no direct cure. However, supportive care can be provided and the symptoms can be treated individually. This means treating a fever, cough, or pneumonia individually rather than the virus itself. 

Advances in technology over the past decade have greatly helped the effort to develop a vaccine. Just one month after the novel coronavirus emerged, scientists in China sequenced its genome and made it available to the public. This allowed scientists all over the world to begin work early on developing a treatment. Additionally, the transparency of the Chinese government on this issue has allowed health organizations access to more information than was available with the SARS outbreak.

In Perspective…

While it is important to take the threat of this virus seriously, we must also put it in perspective. The CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9 million – 45 million illnesses, between 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually since 2010. Rates such as these are often ignored because they have become the norm. Much of the attention surrounding this coronavirus is because of its novel nature, not much is known about it. This can lead to clickbait headlines and tweets that urge people to panic. Only use verified medical sources, such as the CDC and WHO, for information on 2019-nCoV and follow their guidelines on what to do.

Editor: Courteney Malin

Photography Source: https://www.docwirenews.com/home-page-editor-picks/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-wuhan-coronavirus-outbreak-2/