We understand that there is a huge load of news about the novel coronavirus outbreak, and it is ultimately frustrating to follow each update because it’s mentally exhausting.
Here is a summary of the latest updates regarding this outbreak:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Chinese authorities had confirmed that they had identified a new virus on 7th January. The new virus is a coronavirus, which is “a family of viruses that include the common cold, as well as viruses such as SARS and MERS”. This new virus is temporarily named “2019-nCoV”.
Source: the guardian
IndoPacific News (@indopac_info) posted a worldwide case count on Twitter, and this list of confirmed cases was updated as of today (25th January 2020):
Source: @indopac_info twitter
A total of 1,355 cases have been confirmed in China ALONE along with 42 deaths in the country. The virus is spreading to various countries across the globe because people from Wuhan are travelling/flying all over the world. We are unsure of how they got out of the city since Wuhan is undergoing a lockdown.
Source: cna
Just when we feared the virus entering Malaysia, three people from Wuhan were diagnosed with the coronavirus in Malaysia today. They are currently being handled by Sungai Buloh Hospital, and their conditions were reported to be stable.
Despite having our first three cases of Wuhan’s coronavirus, our Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced in a statement today that Malaysia will not block any tourists coming from China. The government has also set up screening booths at all entry points into Malaysia so that tourists who carry that virus can be detected.
A lot of us to feel helpless about how the virus spreading like wildfire, however, we should also do our part to reduce our risk to be transmitted with infectious diseases.
Here’s a list of standard recommendations released by WHO for the public to reduce exposure to and transmission of a range of illnesses:
Source: world health organization (who)
Stay safe and hydrate, everyone.
Also read: Watch: A Doctor in a Wuhan Hospital Broke Down Because There’re Too Many Patients Lying Around
