**This was written a few weeks ago before it got to the point it is at right now, but I think it still has some good information about the disease
As most of you know, there is a new pandemic sweeping across China and rapidly spreading. The Coronavirus, a vector disease, has been rapidly spreading from its origin in Wuhan China to many parts of China and cases have even been seen within the United States. As of two hours ago, the New York Times has posted that more than 800 people have passed away and 37,198 people have been infected by to this disease. Although people and my friends have often joked about over population and our need for a new “plague” to lower our earth’s population;I do not think anyone was expecting any disease remotely resembling that in our lifetimes. There have only been two deaths outside of China, but diseases like this are unpredictable. The World Health Organization also believes that because of the strain on Chinas healthcare system that this estimation of deaths could be significantly higher. Only time will tell at this point how China and the rest of the world will be affected by this disease.
Background on the 2019-nCoV strain
The CDC says that this strain of the virus is thought to have come from an animal host reservoir that has jumped to humans. They believe that it was obtained from animals at a large seafood and live animal market, but then it spread by person-to-person contact. It is then spread to humans through person-to-person contact by respiratory droplets that are spread when someone coughs or sneezes. It is unclear at this point if this strain of the coronavirus can also be spread by close personal contact or touching a surface with the virus and then not washing your hands before touching any orifices on your face.
What went wrong
Although diseases, especially infectious diseases, are unpredictable and have the ability to spread swiftly throughout populations I think some precautions could have been made early on to diminish the effects of this outbreak. The doctor, Dr.Li Wenliang, who first warned the country about the Coronavirus was initially silenced by the Chinese government and was forced to sign a statement denouncing his initial warning of the Coronavirus by the government and medical professionals. He then, thankfully, spoke out about this dangerous virus. He himself could not even outfight the virus and succumbed to his symptoms and passed away this weekend. Since the government was too focused on covering up this quickly spreading epidemic, they lost any advantage pf quarantining and protecting the larger population of the Hubei Province in China. The censorship that is prevalent throughout China has significantly diminished its citizens ability to trust their government officials and has not stopped the spread of anger about the doctors’ death. The lack of support from the government to Dr.Li Wenliang has caused many residents to feel a wide range of emotions, especially sadness and anger for the doctor who was punished for trying to warn people about the outbreak. The veil of secrecy and censorship that is often enforced by the Chines government may have profound effects on not only China but the rest of the world.
Although my friends have joked about the Corona and Lime Virus that is plaguing China and could spread across the world, this disease has already had profound effects on the Wuhan community and does not seem to be stopping any time soon.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/09/world/asia/coronavirus-china.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/transmission.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/world/asia/chinese-doctor-Li-Wenliang-coronavirus.html
https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-china-anger-simmers-over-coronavirus-doctors-death-11581061065
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