WHO: It would be the “first pandemic in history that could be controlled.”   It is an “uneven epidemic at the global level” because 93% of cases are from four countries. WHO guidelines define a pandemic as a worldwide spread of a new disease. WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that there are still things countries can do to slow down the virus and prevent infections. We are not at the mercy of this virus. Countries should continue finding and testing cases, isolating patients and following their contacts to stop the disease from spreading globally, he said.

Some Patients Could Show COVID-19 Symptoms after Quarantine

While there is evidence to support a 14-day quarantine after exposure to SARS COV-2, some infected individuals will not develop symptoms until after that period, reported authors of a recent analysis published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Most will develop symptoms by Day 12 of the infection, which is well within the 14-day period of active monitoring currently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, it is estimated that 101 out of 10,000 cases could develop symptoms after the end of the 14-day monitoring period.

The analysis of 181 confirmed cases of COVID-19 noted an incubation period of 5.1 days. Symptoms developed within 11.5 days for 97.5% of patients in the study. (Medscape)

British Health Minister Gets COVID-19

Nadine Dorries, the British health minister, has confirmed that she has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. She had attended a reception at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official residence two days earlier. (NY Times)

60+ precautions

Among the 70,000 cases WHO scientists looked at, only about 2% were found in people younger than 19. The likelihood of developing COVID-19 increases with age, starting at age 60. It’s especially fatal for people over 80.

Starting at age 60, there is an increasing risk of disease and the risk increases with age.

1. People with underlying conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease and other serious conditions are more susceptible to develop “serious outcomes, including death.”
2. CDC has recommended people with underlying conditions or those above 60 to stock up on medications, household items and groceries to stay at home “for a period of time.”
3. The U.S. government has recommended travelers with underlying health conditions to avoid taking any cruises.
4. People at higher risk are also recommended to avoid non-essential travel, such as long plane trips.
5. People at higher risk should also avoid crowds, touching “high-touch” surfaces in public areas and close contact with people who are sick.
6. In South Korea, no one under the age of 30 has died and in Japan, no one under 50 has died.

(Excerpts from CNBC)

Britain announces COVID-19 as a notifiable disease

Ms. Dorries, the British health minister, started feeling ill on Friday as she was signing a statutory instrument declaring coronavirus to be a “notifiable disease,” a step that allowed British companies to obtain insurance coverage. (NY Times)

Grand Princess

In US, at least 21 people aboard the Grand Princess have tested positive for the virus. Everyone who was aboard the ship — about 2,400 passengers and 1,100 crew members — is being quarantined for at least 14 days.

 Hospitals should bar social visitors

And should take steps to keep some employees away, to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

 Round the globe

Confirmed Cases and Deaths by Country, Territory, or Conveyance

The coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 119 countries and territories around the world and 1 international conveyance (the Diamond Princess cruise ship harbored in Yokohama, Japan).

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