This was the summary of the coronavirus emergency at this morning’s World Health Organization press conference:
As of this morning there are 28,060 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in China and 564 deaths. Outside China, there are 225 cases in 24 countries and one death. The total for confirmed cases in China rose sharply again on a daily basis with a jump of nearly 3,700 cases and 73 new deaths on Wednesday.
WHO said it still doesn’t know the source of the outbreak, or what its natural reservoir is, or its transmissibility or severity.
A number of outside health researchers and organizations tracking the disease say that the next big question is whether the coronavirus epidemic now limited largely to one country becomes a true pandemic with centers of infection arising outside China.
Meanwhile in China millions of migrant workers are beginning to return to work in cities around the country with China doing whatever it can think of to minimize the threat of the epidemic spreading on trains and planes. “We are working to come up with targeted solutions, to resolutely prevent the epidemic from spreading on public transport, and to reduce the imported risks brought by passenger arrivals,” ” Cai Tuanjie, deputy director of transport service at the Ministry of Transport, told a news conference today. The measures include compulsory temperature checks, strengthened disinfection, better ventilation, and higher hygiene standards in both vehicles and terminals. China Railway will ensure an occupation rate of no more than 50% on trains, while civil aviation authorities have asked airlines to reserve a “quarantine zone” on planes and seat passengers as far apart as possible.
