Its another long,lazy day. Been thinking last night what to do. I set my mind first on trying out another recipe and promised to go back into writing. I realized, I haven't written anything about the recent events and this is actually part of history unfolding before my eyes. Things are actually happening rapidly it's as if yesterday's news will be gone tomorrow if not documented. So, I think its best to retrace how it all begun.
Checking on articles and news online, I ran through an article on Time published in January ,2020 ( see more of this in https://time.com/5774366/how-coronavirus-spread-china/ ) . In this article, Lon Tweeten,Emily Barne and Elijah Wolfsons comprehensively written a timeline of how the Wuhan Coronavirus has spread. I gathered that, the World Health Organization (WHO) received reports towards the end of December, that several people in Wuhan, the capital and largest city in Hubei province, contracted a virus that is later linked to the Huanan Seafood Market.
Speculations about the origin of the virus centered on the market which sells primarily fish and shellfish, but also wild game like beavers, porcupines and snakes. The local health officials reported that business staff and purchasers at the market were the first who got infected. Though by that time, it’s still not clear in what animal 2019-nCoV originated.
Speculations about the origin of the virus centered on the market which sells primarily fish and shellfish, but also wild game like beavers, porcupines and snakes. The local health officials reported that business staff and purchasers at the market were the first who got infected. Though by that time, it’s still not clear in what animal 2019-nCoV originated.
(Huanan Seafood Market. source: https://allindiaroundup.com/news/world-news/horrible-pictures-reveal-what-wuhans-wet-market-look-liked-amidst-coronavirus-outbreak/ )
By January, Chinese health authorities announced they had isolated the pathogen . To understand those two medical terms , I looked into two articles. Science Daily defined pathogen or infectious agent as a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its host.
Based on the discussion, microorganisms occur in natural environment like soil. They are mixed with several other forms of life. Many microbes are pathogenic. They cause a number of diseases with a variety of symptoms, depending on how they interact with the patient. The isolation and growth of suspected microbe in pure culture is essential for the identification and control the infectious agent. Read more: https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/pathogen.htm and also: http://www.biologydiscussion.com/microorganisms/isolation-and-cultivation-of-microorganisms/34290 ).
So after isolating the pathogen,health officials have identified the virus as 2019-nCoV as it is called, belongs to the coronavirus family, which includes SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), and spreads via airborne droplets. Below is an infographic from Al Hazeera which clearly defines the COVID19.
On Jan 9, there
was the first reported death from
2019-nCoV—a 61-year-old man who
had visited the now-closed Huanan
Seafood Wholesale Market. (read more of this in:https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2213-2600%2820%2930056-4 )
However,despite the first exported case of novel coronavirus from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that there is no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission based on available information (Li Yan January 15,2020 ecns.cn -Chinanews) .Read more of this in http://www.ecns.cn/news/2020-01-15/detail-ifzsqcrm6566023.shtml .
However,despite the first exported case of novel coronavirus from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that there is no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission based on available information (Li Yan January 15,2020 ecns.cn -Chinanews) .Read more of this in http://www.ecns.cn/news/2020-01-15/detail-ifzsqcrm6566023.shtml .
By January 20, Chinese authorities confirmed that human-to-human transmission is also occurring. By January 23, the WHO confirmed that there is “fourth-generation” spread of the virus in Wuhan, meaning there are cases where an individual has spread it to a second person, that second person to a third, and the third to a fourth. Rhttps://www.vox.com/2020/1/21/21075017/coronavirus-sars-wuhan-china-pneumonia.
However, reports cited by Vox seems to point out another important information. After looking at the picture of the beginnings of this outbreak, they think its changing. Citing a study, published on January 24 in The Lancet, suggests the outbreak may not have actually started at the market. The first known patient had no market exposure. And that person became ill on December 1, nearly two weeks earlier than Wuhan health authorities had suggested about the first case. Read more of this in https://www.vox.com/2020/1/27/21082354/coronavirus-outbreak-wuhan-china-early-on-lancet . This topic here needs another write-up soon.
To verify the manner in which COVID-19 has spread, please check out the map built by the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering which regularly updates an online dashboard for tracking the worldwide spread of the corona virus outbreak that began in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
(For real time tracking see the dashboard in this site: https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/01/23/coronavirus-outbreak-mapping-tool-649-em1-art1-dtd-health/) .
(For real time tracking see the dashboard in this site: https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/01/23/coronavirus-outbreak-mapping-tool-649-em1-art1-dtd-health/) .
On January 13-15, 2020: COVID-2019 had its international exposure. Health officials in Thailand and Japan announce that they have confirmed 2019-nCoV infections in travelers in their respective countries, the first outside of China.
In Thailand's case, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Thailand reported on January 13 ,2020 their first imported case of lab-confirmed novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The case is a 61-year-old Chinese woman living in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. On 5 January 2020, she developed fever with chills, sore throat and headache. On 8 January 2020, she took a direct flight to Thailand from Wuhan City together with five family members in a tour group of 16 people. Read more of the Thailand case in this site : https://www.who.int/csr/don/14-january-2020-novel-coronavirus-thailand-ex-china/en/
Passenger screening and other precutionary measures were done by the US after the outbreak in Thailand and Japan. Jan. 17, 2020: U.S. begins airport health checks on all travelers from Wuhan and, later, all travelers from China. Four days later, on Jan. 21, officials confirmed that a man in Washington State, who had recently returned from a trip to the Wuhan area, was infected with the novel coronavirus.
( Image credit: Creator: JOHANNES EISELE Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
After three weeks,President Xi Jinping has placed the city on quarantine. The Chinese government likewise has ordered travel agencies to suspend tours for Chinese citizens inside China and overseas. The same day, Hong Kong authorities declared a state of emergency over the virus and closed schools for three weeks, while Beijing suspended all inter-province buses.The said actions were justified by Presidents Jinping on January 25, saying that the new virus posed a “grave” threat. Similar travel bans follow in other cities in Hubei province, affecting a total of about 50 million people.
Another preventive action was initiated by the Chinese government after putting Wuhan in quarantine. Given the idea that there's animal to human transmission,Natasha Daly of the National Geographic reported that the Chinese government moved to make permanent the temporary ban on the trade and consumption of live wild animals for food. China’s Wildlife Protection Law has been amended by the The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislative body.
The decision that lays the groundwork for amending provisions related to governing the use of wildlife, to permanently criminalize wildlife as food. The decision further stipulates that the trade of wild animals for medicine, pets, and scientific research will be subject to “strict” approval and quarantine procedures. Read more about the report here: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/01/china-bans-wildlife-trade-after-coronavirus-outbreak/ .
To wrap up the events, pls check the timeline from Al Jazeera (see more : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/timeline-china-coronavirus-spread-200126061554884.html )
Sources:
https://time.com/5774366/how-coronavirus-spread-china/
https://www.vox.com/2020/1/21/21075017/coronavirus-sars-wuhan-china-pneumonia
https://allindiaroundup.com/news/world-news/horrible-pictures-reveal-what-wuhans-wet-market-look-liked-amidst-coronavirus-outbreak/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/timeline-china-coronavirus-spread-200126061554884.html
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