Right now the Coronavirus virus has caused quite a scare in many nations. While many of us are hearing about the virus for the first time, it appears to be very similar MERS-CoV. Back in 2013 a series or articles were written about the MERS-CoV virus.
We know that MERS stands for Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome. And from reports all over the news outlets, we are seeing that this virus looks like the flu on crack. There are a number of articles in the Guardian that talk about the epidemiology of the virus MERS-CoV which sounds very similar to Coronavirus. Read the articles below to see the comparison.
- https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/feb/19/coronavirus-how-easily-spread
- https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/mar/15/coronavirus-next-global-pandemic
- https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/may/13/new-coronavirus-mers-cov
Will this virus be able to be contained before it truly becomes a pandemic? Have we learned how to properly protect ourselves since the Ebola outbreak? Perhaps the biggest ordeal involves finding a solution to treat people without spreading the virus. These types of viruses cause mass fear due to their RO number.
The RO number is the amount of people the viruses can effect. Simply put some viruses are able to spread faster and are able to effect more people. This was the fear with the hospital that treated Thomas Eric Duncan. It took Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital a while to recover after the incident. I recall going there months after just because the wait was super short due to the lingering fear.
In this video a young man who claims to be from the city at the center or the outbreak tells his ordeal. He also talks about how the virus is currently giving China a run for it’s money. Have some of China’s practices inadvertently helped to create more cases due to an increased amount of people flowing into the hospitals? Can they learn how to contain the virus like Dallas or is Wuhan too large and problematic?
