Alexis Jones, Class of 2023
A new viral outbreak emerged as we celebrated the end of the decade and the beginning of the new year: the coronavirus.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new virus that the world has not seen before, and its rapid development throughout the globe has pushed it to the front page of every news outlet due to the concern and fear that the world's population has for their health from the infectious virus.
COVID-19 is a member of the coronavirus family that causes respiratory illnesses. Symptoms present as either a common cold or more life-threatening diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). Respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath, and other breathing difficulties indicate infection, which can lead to more serious diagnoses like pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and death. Transmission of the virus is through contact between people and animals, and those who are already sick are more susceptible to infection. It spreads through respiratory droplets, as in when someone infected with the virus coughs or sneezes and you breathe it in. The virus is highly contagious, which accounts for its widespread development in the world.
Reports of the coronavirus surfaced in December 2019 as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined the cause of the outbreak to be travelers returning from Wuhan, China to the United States. As a result, it is now a cause of concern in the U.S. with its first known cases in the Southern California areas of Los Angeles and Orange County but has since spread to Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Massachusetts. So far, the CDC confirmed 472 cases in the U.S. with the first and only death in Washington state. However, the number of cases grows worldwide, which has led many traveling services such as airports to take extra precautions. For example, the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship sailing through Yokohama in Japan detected 44 passengers to have contracted the virus, which resulted in a quarantine onboard. As of January 7, 2020, the CDC formed a task force to manage the threat of COVID-19.
While the total number of cases in the world continues to increase, the rate at which the virus spreads is relatively low due to the immediate action of first responders. Because of this, the risk of the coronavirus to the general public's health and safety is low at this time, but it could become more problematic as the government works to mitigate the threat of the virus.
Despite the low level of risk, people have expressed negative sentiments towards travelers of Chinese-American and other Asian-American descents because the CDC identified travelers from Wuhan, China to be the source of the outbreak. As the County of Los Angeles Public Health states, "people should not be excluded from activities based on their race, country of origin, or recent travel if they do not have symptoms of respiratory illness."
Since it is flu season, officials advise the public to take preventative measures as there is no vaccine for the coronavirus. The CDC recommends avoiding close contact with those who are sick and touching your face excessively, staying home if you are ill, and cleaning surfaces to prevent the spread of bacteria. They also state that only those who show symptoms of the coronavirus should wear face masks to prevent transmission of the disease.
For those who are already infected, they should seek professional help to treat the symptoms, but there is currently no treatment for the virus.
While the coronavirus outbreak remains a pressing issue in the world today, the CDC will continue to update the public as the organization learns more about the virus.
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/transmission.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html
https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2020/03/01/coronavirus-final-diamond-princess-cruise-crew-members-vacate-ship/4922243002/
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/phcommon/public/media/mediapubhpdetail.cfm?prid=2227
https://medlineplus.gov/coronavirusinfections.html
https://pixabay.com/photos/coronavirus-virus-pandemic-epidemic-4885735/
The coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new virus that the world has not seen before, and its rapid development throughout the globe has pushed it to the front page of every news outlet due to the concern and fear that the world's population has for their health from the infectious virus.
COVID-19 is a member of the coronavirus family that causes respiratory illnesses. Symptoms present as either a common cold or more life-threatening diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). Respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath, and other breathing difficulties indicate infection, which can lead to more serious diagnoses like pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and death. Transmission of the virus is through contact between people and animals, and those who are already sick are more susceptible to infection. It spreads through respiratory droplets, as in when someone infected with the virus coughs or sneezes and you breathe it in. The virus is highly contagious, which accounts for its widespread development in the world.
Reports of the coronavirus surfaced in December 2019 as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined the cause of the outbreak to be travelers returning from Wuhan, China to the United States. As a result, it is now a cause of concern in the U.S. with its first known cases in the Southern California areas of Los Angeles and Orange County but has since spread to Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Massachusetts. So far, the CDC confirmed 472 cases in the U.S. with the first and only death in Washington state. However, the number of cases grows worldwide, which has led many traveling services such as airports to take extra precautions. For example, the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship sailing through Yokohama in Japan detected 44 passengers to have contracted the virus, which resulted in a quarantine onboard. As of January 7, 2020, the CDC formed a task force to manage the threat of COVID-19.
While the total number of cases in the world continues to increase, the rate at which the virus spreads is relatively low due to the immediate action of first responders. Because of this, the risk of the coronavirus to the general public's health and safety is low at this time, but it could become more problematic as the government works to mitigate the threat of the virus.
Despite the low level of risk, people have expressed negative sentiments towards travelers of Chinese-American and other Asian-American descents because the CDC identified travelers from Wuhan, China to be the source of the outbreak. As the County of Los Angeles Public Health states, "people should not be excluded from activities based on their race, country of origin, or recent travel if they do not have symptoms of respiratory illness."
Since it is flu season, officials advise the public to take preventative measures as there is no vaccine for the coronavirus. The CDC recommends avoiding close contact with those who are sick and touching your face excessively, staying home if you are ill, and cleaning surfaces to prevent the spread of bacteria. They also state that only those who show symptoms of the coronavirus should wear face masks to prevent transmission of the disease.
For those who are already infected, they should seek professional help to treat the symptoms, but there is currently no treatment for the virus.
While the coronavirus outbreak remains a pressing issue in the world today, the CDC will continue to update the public as the organization learns more about the virus.
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/transmission.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html
https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2020/03/01/coronavirus-final-diamond-princess-cruise-crew-members-vacate-ship/4922243002/
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/phcommon/public/media/mediapubhpdetail.cfm?prid=2227
https://medlineplus.gov/coronavirusinfections.html
https://pixabay.com/photos/coronavirus-virus-pandemic-epidemic-4885735/
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