Facts & Figures: Coronavirus Outbreak

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Offline shayla.cse

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Facts & Figures: Coronavirus Outbreak
« on: February 23, 2020, 06:38:04 PM »
On Tuesday, January 21, 2020, the first case of a mysterious, pneumonia-like virus that originated in China was confirmed in the United States.

As of 3pm on Thursday, January 30, the World Health Organization declared the epidemic an international public health emergency. The Public Health Emergency of International Concern serves notice to all United Nations member states that the world’s top health advisory body rates the situation as serious.

Here’s what you need to know about the virus.
FAQs: What you need to know about the new coronavirus
What is a coronavirus?
What is 'COVID-19'?
How is Save the Children responding to the current coronavirus outbreak?
What is Save the Children’s history of responding to global pandemic threats?
What is the impact of coronavirus on Save the Children's programs?
Are there any Save the Children sponsored children affected by coronavirus?
What are the symptoms of the new coronavirus?
How did the new strain start?
How many people have been affected? 
How many people in the U.S. have been affected by the coronavirus?  
How is it transmitted?
What's being done to stop the spread?
What is the treatment for the new coronavirus?
Are children at greater risk of contracting coronavirus?
What can I do to protect myself and others?
Are health officials worried?
How can I help children and families impacted in emergencies?

 

What is a coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that can cause illnesses as minor as a cold.

This new virus was initially described by authorities as a new strain of pneumonia, however, it was later confirmed to be a novel coronavirus, or new coronavirus.

What is 'COVID-19'?
This new virus was initially described by authorities as a new strain of pneumonia, however, it was later confirmed to be a novel coronavirus, or new coronavirus.

On Tuesday, February 11, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom announced the official name for the disease is 'COVID-19'. "Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatizing,” he said. “It also gives us a standard format to use for any future coronavirus outbreaks."

How is Save the Children responding to the current coronavirus outbreak?
Sadly, we do not expect the coronavirus to go away anytime soon. As such, our teams are doing everything we can to build plans to keep children and our staff protected and healthy.

Presently, our global health teams are participating in daily World Health Organization (WHO) calls, building response scenarios and undertaking preparedness activities across many of our country offices, especially those with weakened health systems.

We have also deployed a health specialist to our Asia regional office in Singapore to provide technical support and preparedness planning for our staff and programs.

As of Friday, February 6, Save the Children China has delivered 36,000 face masks from our storage facility in Indonesia to hospitals in Wuhan with support from local volunteers. The delivery follows China’s acknowledgement of the shortage of face masks, goggles and protective suits.

In support of the global humanitarian community, Save the Children is also leading a global consortium aimed at strengthening capacity for responses to major infectious disease outbreaks or pandemics, which is called READY. READY is engaged in building potential response scenarios to the emerging coronavirus, and other major epidemics/pandemic-prone pathogens.

Local volunteers in Wuhan, China wear protective suiting while helping to load boxes of face masks donated by Save the Children onto a distribution truck.
What is Save the Children’s history of responding to global pandemic threats?
Historically, Save the Children has been proactive in preparedness for pandemic threats.

Our global health teams have contributed substantially to World Health Organization (WHO) guidance documents related to mitigating the consequences of a global pandemic.

Save the Children’s emergency health teams have also played a key role in responding to major epidemics around the world, including a large-scale immunization campaign in response to the Yellow Fever outbreak in DRC as well as the cholera outbreak response in Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, and DRC.

In response to the 2014 West Africa Ebola virus outbreak, Save the Children was at the heart of the crisis from the start. During the diphtheria outbreak among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, Save the Children was there, supporting the emotional and educational needs of vulnerable children.

Save the Children’s Emergency Health Unit deployed to the Pacific Island of Samoa to support the government's response to the 2019 measles outbreak and help save the lives of children in need.

And currently, as Ebola continues to rage on in the DRC, our teams are actively racing to fight against the deadly outbreak.

What is the impact of coronavirus on Save the Children's programs?
Save the Children is working to ensure that all our programs, particularly in those countries most at risk from the outbreak, are ready to respond. This includes making sure our health clinics have enough soap and hygiene supplies to prevent the spread of infection.

Our teams are also focused on making sure we provide the right health messages to the community to help them protect themselves from the virus and know when to seek help.

Are there any Save the Children sponsored children affected by coronavirus?
While cases of coronavirus have been reported in countries where Save the Children runs sponsorship programs, including Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Nepal, no reports of sponsored children have been received to date.

What are the symptoms of the new coronavirus?
This virus often appears with pneumonia-like symptoms including fever, chills, congestion, body-aches and a cough.

Health officials are most concerned about containing the virus, as it can spread between humans, and originated in a city of more than 11 million people. There have been some early comparisons to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), another coronavirus that originated in China. Tragically, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 774 people died during the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak. Another 8,098 people worldwide became sick.

How did the new strain of coronavirus start?
The outbreak began in Wuhan, China—a city of 11 million people—in December 2019.

While the vast majority of cases are in mainland China, confirmed cases are being reported daily around the world. Hundreds of cases have been confirmed across 27 countries in the Asia-Pacific region as well as Europe, North America and the Middle East.

How many people have been affected by the coronavirus? 
On February 9, 2020, the total number of deaths was confirmed at 908, officially surpassed the toll from the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak. Sadly, that number continues to rise.

As of February 18, the global death toll had surpassed 2,000. The number of confirmed deaths now stands at 2,248 while the number of reported cases is over 76,7851.

How many people in the U.S. have been affected by the coronavirus?
On Tuesday, January 21, the first case of the new coronavirus was confirmed in the U.S. The patient was placed in isolation at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington.

As of Monday, January 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed a total of at least five cases of coronavirus in the United States. All five of the U.S. patients had recently traveled to Wuhan, China. A sixth case was confirmed on Friday, January 31.

As of Friday, February 21, a total of 16 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the U.S.

How is the new coronavirus transmitted?
Although this coronavirus originally spread from animals to humans, it’s been confirmed that this strain of the virus can now spread between humans.

Similar to the common cold, the coronavirus is spread via droplets when a person coughs or sneezes.

As of Thursday, January 30, the CDC and Illinois public health officials had confirmed the nation’s first person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus. The new patient is the spouse of the Chicago woman who brought the infection back from Wuhan, China. The transmission makes the U.S. at least the fifth country where the infection is now spreading through human-to-human contact.
What's being done to stop the spread of the new coronavirus?
Steps are being taken to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. As of January 23, public transportation in Wuhan, China, and some surrounding areas— including buses, subways and ferries— have been suspended.

More recently, different airlines have suspended their flights to mainland China and some countries have imposed entry bans on travelers who have been to China in the 14 days prior to arriving in the country. Those arriving from China on direct flights to many other countries are being screened by health officials. Some countries have put in place extra safety measures such as thermal screening at ports and airports and passengers on flights from affected places are getting extra health checks.

On February 5, two new planeloads of Americans evacuated from Wuhan arrived on military bases in Southern California. They are expected to remain in quarantine for days.
Health officials have even seen a decline in the last few days in the number of newly confirmed cases reported outside of China, which is likely due to recent declines in travel from China.

Most importantly, the WHO emphasizes that the best way to avoid spread of the novel Coronavirus is to keep good hand hygiene and good cough etiquette.
 

What is the treatment for the new coronavirus?
Just as there is no treatment for the common cold, there are no specific treatments for the new coronavirus.

While scientists are working to develop anti-virals and a vaccine, it won’t be widely available in the near future.

What can I do to protect myself and others?
As with all viruses, practicing good hygiene is the best way to prevent illness: wash your hands often, with soap and for at least 20 seconds. Avoid close contact, when possible, with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.

To protect others, cough and sneeze in your elbow; stay home when you’re not feeling well to help your body recover and avoid spreading germs to others.

Are children at greater risk of contracting coronavirus?
Simply put, we don’t know whether children are at higher or lower risk of contracting coronavirus based on the available data so far.

Are health officials worried?
Outside of Asia, there's little concern about the spread of infection at this time. Health officials are closely monitoring the situation.

How can I help children and families impacted in emergencies?
Nobody knows when the next crisis will strike, but your support helps Save the Children provide assistance in the critical first hours and days of an emergency when children need us most. When generous people like you make your 100% tax-deductible gift, children's lives are saved and their futures are brighter.

Donate to the Children's Emergency Fund today.

Updated February 21, 2020

[1] Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by Johns Hopkins CSSE

Offline Anhar Sharif

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Re: Facts & Figures: Coronavirus Outbreak
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2020, 11:18:18 AM »
thanks for sharing
Md Anhar Sharif Mollah

Assistant Professor of Finance

Department of Business Administration

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Daffodil International University

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