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China has stepped up its response to a new coronavirus outbreak that has killed 41 people and infected at least 1,372 in the mainland, ordering nationwide measures to detect the virus at transport terminals. Beijing has also expanded travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities. New cases of virus infection, first detected in China’s Wuhan, have been reported from different parts of the world, causing a global concern.
Deaths: 41
Infected: Nearly 1,400 since its discovery in the city of Wuhan
What is the coronavirus?
A coronavirus is a family of viruses which include the common cold. But this virus has never been seen before, so it’s been called 2019-nCov, for “novel coronavirus”.
New viruses can become common in humans after jumping across the species barrier from animals.
Symptoms
Symptoms seem to start with a fever, followed by a dry cough and then, after a week, lead to shortness of breath and some patients needing hospital treatment.
There is no specific cure or vaccine.
How worried should we be?
Based on early information, it is believed that only a quarter of infected cases are “severe”, and the dead are mostly - though not exclusively - older people, some of whom have pre-existing conditions.
The Chinese authorities suspect a seafood market that “conducted illegal transactions of wild animals” was the source of the outbreak.
Deaths: 41
Infected: Nearly 1,400 since its discovery in the city of Wuhan
What is the coronavirus?
A coronavirus is a family of viruses which include the common cold. But this virus has never been seen before, so it’s been called 2019-nCov, for “novel coronavirus”.
New viruses can become common in humans after jumping across the species barrier from animals.
Symptoms
Symptoms seem to start with a fever, followed by a dry cough and then, after a week, lead to shortness of breath and some patients needing hospital treatment.
There is no specific cure or vaccine.
How worried should we be?
Based on early information, it is believed that only a quarter of infected cases are “severe”, and the dead are mostly - though not exclusively - older people, some of whom have pre-existing conditions.
The Chinese authorities suspect a seafood market that “conducted illegal transactions of wild animals” was the source of the outbreak.
