The number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has officially reached 30,877, with 636 deaths, according to the interactive map provided by Johns Hopkins CSSE (Center for Systems Science and Engineering). The “total recovered” is listed as 1,503. One can only guess about has happened or will happen to the other 28,748 cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website states: The new coronavirus has “resulted in thousands of confirmed cases in China, including cases outside Wuhan City. Additional cases have been identified in a growing number of other international locations, including the United States.” The CDC has not posted first-hand reports from China. Have officials been allowed to visit?
Figures that transiently appeared on Tencent’s “Epidemic Situation Tracker” were 10 times higher than government reports, with the death toll reaching nearly 25,000. Just a “fat finger” mistyping? Or is there double bookkeeping?
Bodies transferred directly from hospitals are reportedly lined up at crematoria to await incineration.
In other news:
- The CDC will be sending test kits to some 100 testing stations in the U.S.
- Panic buyers in Hong Kong are snapping up toilet paper, rice, and pasta.
- The origin of the 2019-nCoV is said to be from bats. The genetic make-up of virus from Chinese patients is reportedly 96% similar to one found in bats. (The human genome is 98.8% similar to that of chimpanzees.) This does not rule out deliberate bioengineering.
- Dr. Li Wenliang, a Chinese physician sanctioned for purportedly “spreading rumors” when he sounded an early alarm about a SARS-like illness cropping up in Wuhan, has died of the novel coronavirus.
- Some medical supply stocks are soaring as suppliers run out of masks and gloves. China is a major producer of protective equipment and the sole source for many drug precursors.
For more about pandemic preparedness and links to information on protecting yourself and your family, see Doctors for Disaster Preparedness Newsletter, September 2019.