The coronavirus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in early December last year and has affected almost 10 000 people worldwide, with over 200 people having died so far.
Here are things to know about the coronavirus outbreak:
1. How contagious is the virus?
The scale of an outbreak depends on how quickly and easily a virus is transmitted from person to person. While research has just begun, scientists have estimated that each person with the new coronavirus could infect somewhere between 1.5 and 3.5 people without effective containment measures.
2. How deadly is the virus?
It’s tough to assess the lethality of a new virus. The worst cases are usually detected first, which can skew our understanding of how likely patients are to die. About a third of the first 41 patients reported in Wuhan had to be treated in an I.C.U., many with symptoms of fever, severe cough, shortness of breath and pneumonia.
3. How long does it take to show symptoms?
Possibly between 2 to 14 days, allowing the illness to go undetected.
4. How much have infected people travelled?
Wuhan is also a major transportation hub within China, linked to Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities by high-speed railways and domestic airlines. In October and November of last year, close to two million people flew from Wuhan to other places within China.
5. How effective will the response be?
In addition to closing off transportation, officials shut down a market in Wuhan selling live poultry, seafood and wild animals, which was thought to be the origin of the coronavirus, and later suspended the trade of wild animals nationwide.
6. How long will it take to develop a vaccine?
A vaccine is still a year away — at a minimum.