During the past month or so, the media have been focusing very much on one thing: the coronavirus. While originating in China, there has now been observed cases in currently 29 different countries, causing the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it a global health emergency. 

All the attention the outbreak is gathering also allows for a lot of misinformation to spread. And while the number of conspiracy theories and false information ranges from realistic to completely insane  and can be entertaining to read, wrong facts can cause a lot of unnecessary worry or even panic, as well as making it chaotic to get a quick understanding of what is actually going on. This article will try to explain the basics..  

So, what is happening?

The real name of the virus is COVID-19, standing for “Coronavirus Disease 2019”. It first appeared in the city of Wuhan in the Hubei province of China, the first cases were observed in the middle of December 2019. From January 1st, Chinese health authorities closed the Hunan Seafood Wholesale Market, where it is believed the animal that was the source of the virus was sold. After a lot of testing, the current theory is that the infected  animal was a bat. The first virus-related death was announced on January 11th 2020. The official numbers are as of today 73.439 cases and 1.875 deaths worldwide.

The existence of the virus was first announced by a Chinese doctor, Li Wenliang, in late December. However, he wasn’t sure what exactly it was. At the time, he was reprimanded by the local police for “spreading rumours” and made to sign papers saying his claim had been wrong. He has later died from the illness himself. 

The reason why the virus spread so far as it did so fast is probably at least partially due to Chinese New Year, which fell around January 25th. Chinese New Year is the world’s largest annual moving of people, and as the event this year fell right in the middle of the outbreak, many people visiting family could thus bring the virus with them to other parts of the country. 

The city of Wuhan where the virus originated, is by far the place that is hit the hardest. The city, along with the rest of Hubei province, has been in lockdown since January 23rd in an attempt to contain the infection. Train stations, airports and roads are sealed, many shops and businesses are closed, and people are advised to stay at home. In total, an estimation of about 57 million people are affected by the lockdown restrictions. 

The virus itself

Coronaviruses are actually common, but most of them are much milder than the COVID-19. Normally, all they cause are things like a cough or running nose.
However, this virus is a new variation of coronavirus that hasn’t previously been identified in humans. When infected, it seems to start with a fever, followed by a dry cough which leads to shortness of breath after about a week. Sometimes this requires a hospital visit.
In the more severe cases, the virus can cause pneumonia (lung infection), severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and death.
The incubation period is up to 14 days, which is quite long - in comparison the common cold has a period of 24 to 72 hours. This is definitely also a factor to how fast and wide the disease has spread. 

The virus is thought to be mainly spreading from person-to-person. This can happen between people who are in close contact with one another, meaning less than 6 feet or about 1,8 metre. It happens via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets are what carry the disease, and they can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby and possibly be inhaled into the lungs and from there to the bloodstream.

How severe the disease is varies a lot from person to person. Some only get mild symptoms and might not even realise they are affected, while others are severely ill or die from it. The mortality rate grows the older you are. 

There is currently no vaccine against the virus, and patients are treated for their symptoms. The WHO’s advice in regards to not getting infected is much like how you would avoid more common viruses: wash your hands frequently, stay away from people who might be infected, and cover your mouth when sneezing.

Some consequences

The Chinese leadership has faced many accusations of downplaying the virus - such as how many actually are infected - and initially trying to keep it secret. How true these accusations are is hard to know for sure, but the Chinese government has admitted to “shortcomings and deficiencies” with how they responded to the virus. Multiple of the top Communist Party members in Wuhan and Hubei have been fired as a consequence of this.
The public reaction really hasn’t been good in relation to China’s view of its government. Especially the news of doctor Li’s death triggered a lot of anger on social media - a lot of which was censored.

In an attempt to minimise the spread of the virus, many of the bigger cities in China have introduced rules to minimize the spreading of the virus. Facial masks are mandatory, many of the big attractions such as the Forbidden City, parts of the Great Wall and Shanghai Disneyland have been closed, and there have been mades rules about certain distances you have to keep from other people. Many cities are more or less turning into ghost towns as people avoid being out and about if it isn’t necessary. 

Because of the virus and danger of incubation, many airline companies have decided to cease flying to and from China for the foreseeable future. Multiple countries bordering China have blocked all entry for people arriving from China, just like certain airports are scanning everyone arriving from the country.  

Many countries, including the US, have called a lot of their staff in China home, especially those situated in the Hubei province. Both Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Health Departments advise against all travel to mainland China right now. 

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It is unknown how long it will be before things start getting back to normal again in China, just like how long it will be before the infection rate will stabilise or a vaccine or cure will be found is still unknown. However, we can only hope that the outbreak will be over in as near a future as possible.