Novel Coronavirus Update- February 24, 2020
Health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have announced that the coronavirus COVID-19 has continued to spread to countries and continents previously unaffected. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now been reported throughout Asia and Europe, with cases rising sharply in the last 4 days in Italy, South Korea and Iran. Some infectious disease experts have speculated that the virus was already in Italy for weeks, carried and spread by one or more people with negligible symptoms.
The number of new cases in China continues to decline, with some jurisdictions such as Beijing and Shanghai reporting no new cases. Many areas in mainland China remain under quarantine, and the government is considering lifting that quarantine and allow citizens to return to work and other public gathering areas.
As of February 23rd, there have been 1,400 confirmed cases in 32 countries outside of China, sparking concern as the virus spreads into countries with underdeveloped health care systems. The CDC is aggressively responding to the global outbreak of COVID-19 and preparing for the potential of community spread in the Untied States. Please visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus for guidance for communities, travel, businesses and healthcare readiness.
For comparison, here are some statistics as of February 24, 2020:
COVID-19-79,371 confirmed illnesses, 2,627 deaths world wide
Seasonal influenza-29 million illnesses, 16,000 deaths, 28,000 hospitalizations in the US alone.
As always, the best way to prevent the spread of any type of coronavirus is to cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your sleeve, frequent hand hygiene, and keeping your hands away from your face.
