Three UW students in Seattle screened for novel coronavirus
The University of Washington was notified by Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) that three students from the UW’s Seattle campus are being screened for the novel (new) coronavirus. These three students recently traveled to Wuhan, China, and developed symptoms after returning. . . . None of the UW students were hospitalized, and all are doing very well. UWNews.
Fifth Coronavirus U.S. Case as Global Count Nears 3,000
Two travel-associated cases of novel coronavirus were confirmed in California, along with another in Arizona, bringing the total to five confirmed travel-associated cases in the U.S., CDC officials said on Sunday. Similar to the previous two cases, the infections were in patients with recent travel to Wuhan, China. MedpageToday
China restricts travel for 35 million people to halt spread of deadly virus
China locked down more than 35 million people in an increasingly urgent effort to halt the spread of the deadly coronavirus Friday, as the United States confirmed a second infected person and the respiratory illness found its way to Europe, where the first three cases were announced in France.
U.S. Working to Evacuate American Citizens From Epidemic-Stricken Chinese City
The federal government is making arrangements to evacuate American citizens from Wuhan, China, on a charter flight that will seat roughly 230 people, according to people familiar with the effort. The U.S. consulate is attempting to reach Americans who are still in the city, including diplomats and their families, but those who accept a seat on the plane will have to pay their way. WSJ.
Countries evaluate evacuation of citizens in virus epicenter
Countries with citizens in the central Chinese city that’s the epicenter of a viral outbreak are planning evacuations as the number of illnesses grow and China takes drastic measures to try to stop the spread of the virus. A look at steps being taken: AP.
As Coronavirus Fears Intensify, Effectiveness of Quarantines Is Questioned
. . . . China’s attempts to curb the disease’s spread — essentially cordoning off the major cities in the province of Hubei, including its capital, Wuhan, a city of 11 million people — are a “public health experiment, the scale of which has not . . . . been done before,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University. . . .Whether the lockdowns will succeed in stemming the spread of the virus is a matter of debate by experts in public health and epidemiology. Some said the lockdowns would help, at least in theory. NYT.
Scientists are moving at record speed to create new coronavirus vaccines—but they may come too late
. . . . One sign of the breakneck pace was the announcement on 23 January by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) that it will give three companies a total of $12.5 million to develop 2019-CoV vaccines. A nonprofit formed in 2016 solely to fund and shepherd the development of new vaccines against emerging infectious diseases, CEPI is trying to have vaccines developed and tested faster than any previous effort, anywhere, ever. Science.
NIH Expert Fauci: Coronavirus ‘No Worry’ for Americans
“It isn’t something the American public needs to worry about or be frightened about, because we have ways of preparing and screening of people coming in [from China],” says National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci, “It’s a very, very low risk to the United States, but it’s something that we as public health officials need to take very seriously.” NewsMax.
Video game company urges players to avoid Plague Inc. game for information on coronavirus
The popularity of a video game that teaches players about how diseases spread has grown sharply amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus. Now, the company is warning people to seek information on the disease from official sources, rather than relying on its game, Plague Inc. CNN.
