Trump administration announces mandatory quarantines in response to coronavirus

The Trump administration on Friday dramatically escalated its response to the fast-spreading coronavirus epidemic by announcing quarantines and major travel restrictions that officials said were meant to limit contagion. WashingtonPost.

2nd person-to-person transmission of coronavirus reported in US; 1st death confirmed outside China

Two more Americans, a husband and wife, were confirmed to have the coronavirus late Sunday in the second person-to-person transmission in the U.S. and the 10th and 11th cases in the country, respectively. . . . The couple’s diagnosis brings the total number of positive cases in the United States to 11. ABC.

Masks Are On. Games Are Canceled. Fear of the Coronavirus Comes to U.S. Colleges

. . . The global alarm over the coronavirus is particularly intense on American college campuses, where students from around the world are packed in tightly and illnesses sweep through dormitories and classrooms even in normal winters. NYT.

Built in 10 days, China’s virus hospital takes 1st patients

With the number of cases of the coronavirus now exceeding 17,000 and a death toll surpassing 360, China has opened a 1,000-bed hospital after beginning construction 10 days ago, with another 1,500-bed facility set to open this week. AP.

Time-lapse video of the hospital’s construction here.

U.S. Hospitals Unprepared For A Quickly Spreading Coronavirus

If the coronavirus spreads more widely, can U.S. hospitals handle such a surge in illness? Probably not . NPR.

Coronavirus scare highlights challenges in U.S.-China supply chain

Concerns over the Wuhan coronavirus virus have highlighted how reliant the U.S. health system has become on China as a major supplier of medical devices and drugs. ModernHealthcare.

DHS: New screening to begin amid coronavirus concerns

Under the new rules, U.S. citizens who have traveled in China within the last 14 days will be re-routed to one of eight designated airports, where they will undergo enhanced health screening procedures. They [include] Seattle-Tacoma International Airport .AP.

The Trump administration has made the U.S. less ready for infectious disease outbreaks like coronavirus

. . . . over the past three years the administration has weakened the offices in charge of preparing for and preventing this kind of outbreak. . . . It has slashed funding for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its infectious disease research.  TheConversation.

WHO chief says widespread travel bans not needed to beat China virus

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday there was no need for measures that “unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade” in trying to halt the spread of a coronavirus that has killed 361 people in China. Reuters. 

China accuses US of spreading fear and panic over coronavirus outbreak

China’s Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. on Monday of setting a “very bad example” when it comes to tackling the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak, saying President Donald Trump’s administration is spreading fear instead of providing much-needed assistance. CNBC.

Early missteps and state secrecy in China probably allowed the coronavirus to spread farther and faster

. . . An analysis of those early weeks — from official statements, leaked accounts from Chinese medical professionals, newly released scientific data and interviews with public health officials and infectious disease experts — reveals potential missteps by China’s overburdened public health officials.. WashingtonPost.

Mayo Clinic doctor: Coronavirus is ‘basically at a pandemic now’ and should be treated as such

Dr. Gregory Poland, director of Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group, told CNBC on Monday that the fast-spreading coronavirus is nearing pandemic status. . . . The difference between an epidemic and a pandemic is that a pandemic reaches a great number of people worldwide, compared to an epidemic, which sickens a large number of people locally. CNBC.

WHO working with Google to combat virus misinformation

The World Health Organization is working with Google to ensure that people get facts from WHO first when they search for information about the new virus that recently emerged in China. AP.

Coronavirus: Drone hovering over China to scold people without masks

At least one drone is hovering over Inner Mongolia, looking for people without masks. A voice behind the machine scolds them and reminds them that face coverings are currently required for anyone stepping outside. Video.

Kimchi, cow poop and other spurious coronavirus remedies

The new coronavirus has killed more than 300 people in China and infected thousands more. As the virus spreads and with no cure in sight, some people are looking to alternative remedies to protect them from infection or cure themselves if they’ve already contracted it. Here are some of the theories floating around. Some of these have been proposed by medical doctors, and some of them are just common sense. Others, not so much. WashingtonPost.