by BRINLEE VUOLA
Staff Writer
Coronavirus is quickly making a comeback, surprising the world and getting it prepared for a possible global outbreak. For those who don’t know, Coronavirus is, according to Wikipedia, “a group of viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds that include diarrhea in cows and pigs, and upper respiratory disease in chickens.” The first-ever reported case of this virus was in 2012 in Saudi Arabia, and since then, it’s been seen in 25 different countries, including the United States. It’s always been around since then, but it was very rare to get, and not a lot of people had it at one time.
However, recently, China had a big outbreak of this virus. But it isn’t exactly the same virus seen in 2012; this specific virus has never been identified in humans before, and it’s causing lots of havoc and tragedy. It came from a seafood market place in Wuhan on December 31, 2019, giving it the name “Wuhan Coronavirus” that people now identify it as. When a supposed “illegal transaction of wild animals” took place, the virus spread from those animals onto a civilian, making its first step into the human world. That market place has been closed ever since the beginning of this year — and there have been 26 deaths and 830 more cases reported due to the virus. The number will continue to grow, based on all the articles and studies people are conducting.
While the whole world may have a growing worry about this virus, it’s China that is panicked the most. Many citizens are frightened that this will soon lead to a “global pandemic.” Even with the restricted or heavily surveilled and checked travel, the death toll continues to rise. Currently, China is still in a major lockdown as authorities try to contain the virus and eliminate it. The worry continues to grow in that country for many reasons: a growing death toll, a shortage in masks, and an everlasting lockdown to try containing a virus that is continuing to grow.
As I’m typing this article, there is a new report going around that the second case of Wuhan Coronavirus was just reported in the United States, specifically in Chicago, Illinois. The first case was reported in Washington state this last Monday. As these things are getting reported in the United States, the lockdown continues to grow in China. Construction workers in China are currently working consistently to build a Coronavirus hospital in Wuhan that will soon hold 1,000 beds. Everyone is working hard to do their part in order to contain and treat this virus, even as the worries and panicking slowly grow throughout the world. For now, all we can do is treat ourselves kindly and cleanly, making sure we can avoid getting caught by the outbreak.