World

World Health Organisation Warns about Spread of Novel Coronavirus

Reporter Braxton Thomas

(WUHAN, CHINA) Outbreak of a new virus has led to many hospitalizations and roughly 400 deaths being reported. The strain of Coronavirus, known as Novel Coronavirus, is in design similar to the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome, which has a mortality rate of 34 percent in reported cases. Cooperation between nations to halt the spread has been light at best.

On the January 21, 2020, the first WHO report was released pertaining to the outbreak in Hubei, China. 258 cases were reported at that point. The total now is nearing roughly twenty thousand.

The sheer scale of the reproduction of the virus has been the most worrying factor for medical personnel handling the outbreak. In response to such monstrous outbreaks, however, China’s leader Xi Jinping has been unusually silent. With the number of infected doubling in two days, he has responded by deploying military medical personnel to assist. However, aside from these initial supporting actions, the government has been mostly silent.

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. The virus slowly attacks systems within the body including the circulatory, respiratory, and specifically the kidneys in the urinary system. If untreated, the chances of the infection being fatal go up to almost always lethal levels. Victims' lungs shut down from being filled with fluid as well as their bodies becoming lethargic and frail.

The estimated death toll if predictions prove correct will double alongside the infection rate. Estimations place infection to be at one million within the next week. Deaths will mirror that escelation, with roughly a tenth of those infections projected to be fatal. The World Health Organization has placed control of this outbreak to be the most pertinent problem and assures the public that world leaders in medical fields are working together to find a solution. The only other precaution given by the WHO was typical deterrents for infection such as masks, hand sanitizer and minimizing contact with those afflicted.