What If the Coronavirus Continues to Spread

Chinese officials said that the new Coronavirus, which infected nearly two thousand people, is transmitted from person to person during its incubation period, that is, before symptoms of the disease appear to those who carry the virus, making it more difficult to contain it.

What If the Coronavirus Continues to Spread

Fifty-six people have died so far from the virus, which is becoming increasingly capable of spreading, according to the Chinese Minister of Health Ma Xiaoyu.

Several Chinese cities imposed strict travel restrictions, and Wuhan was completely closed - it is the main focus of the virus.

Officials vowed to intensify their efforts to contain the virus and announced that it would ban the sale of all wild animals in China from Sunday.

Initially, it was believed that the virus was born among animals, but it has spread rapidly since it was transmitted to humans.

Officials believe that the incubation period, during which a person carries the virus but without showing symptoms, is between one and 14 days.

A person may not know that he has the infection because symptoms do not appear, but he is still able to spread the disease.

A few infections have been reported in other countries: Japan, Taiwan, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, the United States, and France.

This is an important development in our understanding of the virus and the awareness of the time that China needs to stop its spread. Those infected with the deadly SARS virus that struck China, or the Ebola virus transmit the disease after its symptoms appear, so it is easy to reduce those epidemics by identifying and isolating the infected and monitoring all those who have contacted them.

As for flu, it is the most famous example of a virus spreading before a person knows he is sick with it.

However, we have not yet reached the stage where people say there is a global epidemic as was the case when the swine flu spread.

But stopping "disease spreaders with no symptoms" would be the most difficult task for the Chinese authorities.

There are still fundamental questions that need answers such as how able to spread the infection during the incubation period, and whether any patient outside China spread the disease to other countries before being diagnosed with the disease, and why did the Chinese National Health Committee say that the ability of this virus to transmit is getting stronger?

Scientists have warned that it may be impossible to contain the spread of the Coronavirus within China's borders.

The London-based MRC Center for Infectious Diseases said that the transmission of the disease from human to human is the only reasonable explanation for the level of infection, estimating that each infected person can transmit the infection to at least two other people.

Scientists have praised China for its efforts to contain the virus but said there was a need to reduce its transmission rate by sixty percent in order to control it.

This came after Chinese President Xi Jinping warned of the "accelerating" spread of the virus and the country was facing a "dangerous situation" during a special government meeting coinciding with the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Health officials are struggling to contain the spread of the virus, while millions of Chinese travel to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

The authorities have taken preventive measures to prevent the spread of the disease and imposed travel restrictions on many cities affected by the virus.

The authorities decided to ban private cars from entering Wuhan, in the central region of China.

The government  reported that a second emergency hospital would be built within weeks to treat 1,300 new patients, and it would be completed within two weeks.

This is the second hospital to be built to treat virus victims after work has already started on another 1,000-bed hospital.

The authorities also hired the army to deal with the situation, and specialized military medical teams moved to Hubei Province, where Wuhan is located.

These measures reflect a state of concern both inside and outside China about the spread of the virus, which first appeared in December.

The lunar New Year celebrations of the Mouse Year, which started on Saturday in many Chinese cities, were canceled.

Travelers across China were checking temperatures for signs of a fever, and train stations in many cities were closed.

The authorities in Hong Kong declared a state of extreme emergency and extended school holidays.