China Quarantines Entire City as Deaths from Mystery Virus Almost Double in 24 Hours
As the fast-spreading “novel coronavirus” makes its way across the globe, China is locking down the virus’ city of origin in a desperate attempt to control the outbreak.
Even with these precautions, it looks like a perfect storm is brewing for a pandemic.
As the Chinese state-run People’s Daily newspaper reported, the city of Wuhan is being cut off.
No people will be allowed to leave the city, and all public transportation will be shuttered starting Thursday morning.
No people in #Wuhan, C China’s Hubei will be allowed to leave the city starting 10 a.m. of Jan. 23. Train stations and airport will shut down; the city bus, subway, ferry and long-distance shuttle bus will also be temporarily closed: local authority #WuhanPneumonia #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/8pohJ4Uixo
— People’s Daily, China (@PDChina) January 22, 2020
This comes as the death toll from the Wuhan coronavirus nearly doubled in the span of about a day.
The total number of lives the viral disease has claimed in China rose to 17 late Wednesday local time, according to the most recent official numbers, up from nine just one day earlier, according to the New York Post.
Models and estimates from experts have recently claimed that China is not acknowledging the vast extent of this virus, which has touched down in nations across several continents.
One study predicted that the number of infected people is over five times what the Chinese government is acknowledging, thanks to the presence of a major airport in the city of Wuhan.
The virus, which unexpectedly hit China last month, is thought to have originated from a wet market in the city.
Preliminary research suggests the coronavirus could have made the jump to humans through contact with snakes — which may have been sold for meat in the market either alive or dead.
#Snake is the most probable wildlife #animal #reservoir for the novel #coronavirus that had caused 17 deaths in C China’s Hubei Province, said a study published on Wed in the Journal of Medical Virology pic.twitter.com/orN1p1NG58
— People’s Daily, China (@PDChina) January 22, 2020
The worst part of China’s predicament is the upcoming Spring Festival celebrations.
Known to the rest of the world as the Chinese or Lunar New Year, the revelry is set to commence Jan. 25.
This is no small celebration, either, but rather the biggest migration of people in the world.
It’s hard to convey the scale of the movements that happen during the Spring Festival.
Our closest analogue in America is Thanksgiving, a holiday where around 50 million Americans hit the road every year to visit friends and family.
In China, over 385 million people, a group larger than the entire U.S. population, move around the country for the Spring Festival.
Shuttering Wuhan may help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, but there are confirmed cases in many other parts of China.
It’s unclear how many people are either carrying the virus but not showing symptoms, or are already suffering symptoms but have not gone to a hospital.
Now facing a disease that readily transmits from person to person, it’s clear that China’s public health system will be truly tested in the coming days.
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