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The coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on China. The death toll has risen to 1,665 and the number of infections has reached over 66,000. There is some good news in that the number of new cases has fallen for three straight days.
The virus has spread to 24 countries and infected 68,500 people globally. Many nations have imposed travel restrictions in response to the outbreak, and China has locked down entire cities in hopes of limiting the spread of the deadly disease.
The coronavirus outbreak mirrors the SARS outbreak of late 2002. SARS infected over 8,000 individuals and killed 774, mostly in China. The virus was quickly contained, and no new cases were reported after 2004.
The virus is spread person to person via respiratory droplets, usually when someone coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include fever, coughing, shortness of breath, muscle pain, and tiredness. There are currently no vaccines for the virus.
There has only been a handful of cases in the United States, mostly brought by travelers from China. The virus is not expected to spread much here.
While the coronavirus is a serious threat, it should be put into proper context. The 68,500 infected worldwide is a huge number, but it pales in comparison to the flu. Influenza infects between 3 and 5 million people each year. Between 290,000 and 650,000 are killed each year by the flu.