What is Coronavirus, How Did it Start and Could the Outbreak Grow Bigger?
The new coronavirus (Covid-19) is spreading fast. More than 135,000 people are known to be infected and over 4,900 deaths have been recorded - including ten people in the UK who were diagnosed with the virus.
The bulk of cases and fatalities have been confined to China, but the virus is spreading internationally.
https://youtu.be/C14HnPtm1a0
What is a coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause disease in animals. Seven, including the new virus, have made the jump to humans, but most just cause cold-like symptoms.
Two other coronaviruses – Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) – are much more severe, having killed more than 1,500 people between them since 2002.
How did the outbreak start?
The source of the coronavirus is believed to be a "wet market" in Wuhan which sold both dead and live animals including fish and birds.
Such markets pose a heightened risk of viruses jumping from animals to humans because hygiene standards are difficult to maintain if live animals are being kept and butchered on site. Typically, they are also densely packed.
Could the outbreak grow bigger?
It is impossible to say which way the disease will go but, on its current trajectory, it is likely to spread to more countries, affecting many more people. The number of cases is beginning to decrease in China but is climbing in the rest of the world. To find out more about what is likely to happen.
How many people have died from the disease so far?
More than 135,000 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak started, and the death toll has exceeded 4,900. The vast majority of cases are in China, but the virus has spread to more than 100 other countries.
According to data from the Chinese authorities, around 80 per cent of cases of the disease are mild, but 20 per cent require hospitalisation.
Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/
The bulk of cases and fatalities have been confined to China, but the virus is spreading internationally.
https://youtu.be/C14HnPtm1a0
What is a coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause disease in animals. Seven, including the new virus, have made the jump to humans, but most just cause cold-like symptoms.
Two other coronaviruses – Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) – are much more severe, having killed more than 1,500 people between them since 2002.
How did the outbreak start?
The source of the coronavirus is believed to be a "wet market" in Wuhan which sold both dead and live animals including fish and birds.
Such markets pose a heightened risk of viruses jumping from animals to humans because hygiene standards are difficult to maintain if live animals are being kept and butchered on site. Typically, they are also densely packed.
Could the outbreak grow bigger?
It is impossible to say which way the disease will go but, on its current trajectory, it is likely to spread to more countries, affecting many more people. The number of cases is beginning to decrease in China but is climbing in the rest of the world. To find out more about what is likely to happen.
How many people have died from the disease so far?
More than 135,000 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak started, and the death toll has exceeded 4,900. The vast majority of cases are in China, but the virus has spread to more than 100 other countries.
According to data from the Chinese authorities, around 80 per cent of cases of the disease are mild, but 20 per cent require hospitalisation.
Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/
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