The novel coronavirus has infected more than 64,000 people globally. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it. According to the latest figures, most infected cases have been reported from mainland China, followed by Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and so on.
LATEST FIGURES:
- Mainland China: 1,380 deaths among 63,851 cases, mostly in the central province of Hubei.
- Hong Kong: 56 cases, 1 death
- Macao: 10
- Japan: 259, including 218 from a cruise ship docked in Yokohama, 1 death
- Singapore: 67
- Thailand: 33
- South Korea: 28
- Malaysia: 19
- Taiwan: 18
- Vietnam: 16
- Germany: 16
- United States: 15. Separately, one U.S. citizen died in China
- Australia: 14
- France: 11
- United Kingdom: 9
- United Arab Emirates: 8
- Canada: 7
- Philippines: 3 cases, including 1 death
- India: 3
- Italy: 3
- Russia: 2
- Spain: 2
- Belgium: 1
- Nepal: 1
- Sri Lanka: 1
- Sweden: 1
- Cambodia: 1
- Finland: 1
People wearing protective face masks walk on a street in the rain in Hong Kong, Friday, Feb. 14, 2020. COVID-19 viral illness has sickened tens of thousands of people in China since December.
Coronavirus: Sources, symptoms and precautions
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.
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