Coronavirus Scare in Asia (Updated: February 17, 2020)

Where Did it Come From?

China state media reported that some of the people who fell ill between Dec. 12 and 29 are sellers from a local wholesale seafood market. 

That market has since been shut down for cleaning and disinfection, according to the CDC.

“What’s happening over there is in a particular area of China at a seafood market, and… it [first] appears that transmission is from animal to human,” Nikhil Bhayani, an infectious disease physician with Texas Health Resources, told Healthline.

What is Coronavirus?

“Corona means ‘crown,’ so these viruses appear crown-shaped when looked at under an electron microscope,” said Bhanu Sud, MD, an infectious disease specialist at St. Jude Medical Center in Placentia, California.

“Most coronaviruses are harmless,” he said. “They’ll usually cause mild to moderate upper respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold. Most people will get infected with these viruses at some point in their lives.”

Sud emphasizes that while the outlook is good for most people infected with this type of virus, the SARS and MERS strains are more serious. 

The death rate is around 10 percent for people with SARS and 30 percent for those with the MERS variant.

“What is unknown right now is the virus being typed. They’re doing testing to find out what type of virus this is and whether it’s more similar to SARS or MERS,” Bhayani said. “I have a strong feeling that this is going to be a new virus.”

No Treatment Available

According to Sud, human coronaviruses most commonly transmit from an infected person to others via:

1. the air by coughing and sneezing
2. close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hand
3. touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands 

“In the United States, people usually get infected with common human coronaviruses in the fall and winter. However, infection can occur at any time of the year,” he said.

“Most people will get infected with one or more of the common human coronaviruses in their lifetime,” he added. 

Sud also points out both SARS and MERS outbreaks were from animal-to-human contact, with SARS most likely from contact with bats and MERS from contact with camels. 

“Since the organism causing infection is a virus, to date, we don’t have any specific antiviral medications,” Sud said.

The Coronavirus (1,775 deaths) has killed more people than SARS (774 deaths). 25 countries have been affected, mostly people that have traveled to the Hubei Province of China, where the epicenter of the disease started (Wuhan). 

Fifteen cases have been confirmed in the United States, including a 35-year old man in Washington state, a couple in their 60s in Chicago, and eight people in California. 30 cases have been confirmed in South Korea, where I live. Here is the count of cases in each country:

(As of February 17, 2020)

Total Number of Cases                      Deaths         Recovered

• Mainland China: 70,550 cases       1,771          11,039
• Others: 710
• Singapore: 75                                                 19
• Japan: 59                                                       12
• Hong Kong: 57                               1                2
• Thailand: 34                                                   14
• South Korea: 30                                                9
• Malaysia: 22                                                     7
• Taiwan: 20                                      1                2
• Germany: 16                                                    1
• Vietnam: 16                                                     7
• Australia: 15                                                    8
• United States: 15                                              3
• France: 12                                       1              4
• Macau: 10                                                       5
• United Arab Emirates (UAE): 9                              4
• United Kingdom (U.K.): 9                                     8
• Canada: 7                                                        1
• Italy: 3
• Philippines: 3                                   1
• India: 3                                                           3
• Russia: 2                                                         2
• Spain: 2                                                          2
• Nepal: 1
• Cambodia: 1
• Belgium: 1
• Finland: 1                                                        1
• Sweden: 1
• Egypt: 1
• Sri Lanka: 1                                                     1

1775 have died (1,696 from Hubei Province, China) while 11,039 in China have recovered (6,642 from Hubei Province).

Bottom Line

The best advice is not to panic, make sure you wash your hands all of the time, limit your time outside (just to be safer) but don't stay home all the time. Staying home all of the time could lead to depression and the coronavirus isn't that severe at this point. You could wear a mask, but they have been proven to be very ineffective unless you're sick and limiting germs from infecting other people. To sum up, live your life and if you're a Christian like myself, rely on God, take precautions, and stay calm.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy