Coronavirus Could Infect 250,000 in Wuhan in Next 11 Days, Researchers Say

Panic Stirs in Chinese City Where Deadly Virus Broke Out

Doctor Wei said the panic did not sink in until Jan. 21, two days before his hometown became under lockdown. Every morning, around a dozen patients would flock to the community clinic he worked at, all presenting symptoms of fever or the flu. He said it has been like this for the past month and a half. The viral pneumonia, caused by a virus known as 2019-nCov, infected its first patient in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Dec. 12. It has since spread to more than 800 people across the country. Many Wuhan residents were nonplussed by the illness until authorities on Jan. 22 issued a notice to quarantine the city and shut down all public transportation. Such lockdown measures soon expanded to seven other cities in the…

The new coronavirus could infect more than 250,000 in the Chinese city of Wuhan alone by early February, according to a new study by researchers.

The study, done by biostatistical researchers in the UK and the United States and released on Jan. 24, projects a drastic escalation of the viral outbreak that has infected more than 900 people and killed 26 in China, with cases confirmed in several countries in Asia, as well as the United States and France.

“If no change in control or transmission happens, then we expect further outbreaks to occur in other Chinese cities, and that infections will continue to be exported to international destinations at an increasing rate,” it said.

Researchers said their model predicted that by Feb. 4, infections at the disease center in Wuhan will surge to 132,000 to 273,000 people. The central Chinese city, with a population of 11 million, has been put under lockdown in an effect to stem the spread of the virus. Transport lockdowns have also been imposed on 12 other cities in the region, affecting more than 30 million people.

The study, however, said the travel restrictions in Wuhan “are unlikely to be effective in halting transmission across China.”

“With a 99 percent effective reduction in travel, the size of the epidemic outside of Wuhan may only be reduced by 24.9 percent on 4 February,” it added.

The study projected that the largest outbreaks outside the epicenter would be in the cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, and Chengdu.

Researchers also predicted that the countries or regions at greatest risk of importing infections through air travel are Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. Both Hong Kong and Thailand have five confirmed cases, Taiwan has three, while Japan and South Korea each have two confirmed patients with the virus.

The United States on Jan. 24 confirmed its second coronavirus case in Chicago, with the first confirmed case reported in Washington state on Tuesday. More than 60 patients are currently being investigated in 22 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Jan. 24.

Meanwhile, France became the first European country to detect the disease, confirming two patients tested positive to the novel coronavirus.

Earlier on Jan. 24, researchers in Wuhan said that infected patients have presented new non-respiratory related symptoms, such as diarrhea, chest pains, and headaches, suggesting that the virus may be harder to identify than initially thought.

Official description of the symptoms of the virus is currently limited to fever and respiratory issues such as coughing and breathing difficulties.

This article is from the Internet:Coronavirus Could Infect 250,000 in Wuhan in Next 11 Days, Researchers Say

Patients of Novel Coronavirus Show New Symptoms: Report

Patients in the Chinese city of Wuhan have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus after exhibiting non-respiratory-related symptoms—such as diarrhea, chest pains, and headaches— according to Jan. 24 report by Chinese researchers reported by local media. Thus far, official guidance on the symptoms of the Wuhan virus has been limited to fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as coughing, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. However, according to local media a report by doctors and experts from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University on Friday noted the appearance of initial symptoms not related to the respiratory system. It said that many patients who contracted the virus did not have a fever. Therefore simply taking the temperatures of passengers at transport hubs is not enough to screen for the virus. Chinese…