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What we don't yet know about the coronavirus

An undated colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (green) heavily infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (purple), also known as novel coronavirus, the virus which causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient sample. NIAID Integrated Research Facility via ReutersIt has been only three months since reports first emerged from China of an unknown virus causing unusual cases of pneumonia, and scientists and public health experts already know more about it and how it works than at the same point in earlier outbreaks.But there's still a lot they don't know.As the new coronavirus continues to spread around the world, here are some of the most important questions researchers and doctors _ as well as policymakers and economists _ are still trying to answer:How contagious is the virus?The virus spreads from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth via coughing or sneezing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It can persist on most surfaces up to several days, so in addition to directly inhaling the virus, you can become infected by touchin

Mar 28, 2020
What we don't yet know about the coronavirus

Korea hails 50% recovery rate in fight against coronavirus

Red Cross workers prepare emergency relief kits packed with basic necessities for delivery to impoverished people experiencing difficulties amid the spread of the new coronavirus at a facility of the Korean National Red Cross in Seoul, Friday, March 27, 2020. APThe government said Saturday that it has achieved a 50 percent recovery rate for people infected with the new coronavirus, a feat that underscored the importance of aggressive testing, quarantine and social distancing in the fight against COVID-19. South Korea has released 4,811 fully recovered COVID-19 patients from hospitals as of Saturday, up 283 from a day earlier, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). This marked the first time the number of recovering people exceeded the number of quarantined patients ― which stood at 4,523 ― since Jan. 20, when the virus was first detected on South Korean soil."The 50 percent recovery rate is a small achievement that all in our society should celebrate, though we have a long way to go," Yoon Tae-ho, director-general for public health policy at the Min

Mar 28, 2020
Korea hails 50% recovery rate in fight against coronavirus

Cat found infected with coronavirus in Belgium

Three cats sit on an abandoned car in London, Britain, March 26. EPAA pet cat has been infected with the novel coronavirus in Belgium after being contaminated by its owner, Belgian health authorities said Friday. Cases of contamination of pets are rare and the authorities have ruled out any risk of contamination from home animals to humans. The reports follows similar cases in Hong Kong where two dogs tested positive for COVID-19 during a screening campaign carried out on 17 dogs and eight cats living in contact with people carrying the virus. In Belgium, the discovery was made by researchers at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Liege.This is "an isolated case" which can occur after "close contact between animals and infected humans,” said Doctor Emmanuel Andre, a government agency spokesman on the pandemic. The virus can be transmitted from humans to animals but "there is no reason to think that animals can be vectors of the epidemic in our society,” he said.In Hong Kong, "the dogs showed no symptoms,” while in Belgium "the cat was suffering from transitory res

Mar 28, 2020
Cat found infected with coronavirus in Belgium

Cases in Italy overtake China

An Italian army soldier wearing a protective suit helps transport coffins from military trucks in the Bergamo area to the cemetery of Cinisello Balsamo, near Milan, Cinisello Balsamo, March 27. EPAItaly recorded the most daily deaths of any country since the start of the coronavirus pandemic Friday, while Spain had its deadliest day, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson became the first major world leader to test positive for COVID-19. Italy reported 969 new deaths, Spain 769 and France 299 as Europe reeled from a crisis that led the United States to finalize an unprecedented $2 trillion stimulus package.In other grim milestones, AFP tallies showed more than 26,000 deaths worldwide, and a total of 300,000 cases now recorded in Europe, after the United States overtook China as the country with the most infections.Italy showed a continuing downward trend in infection rates and Spain said its rate appeared to be slowing, but other countries were bracing for the virus's full impact.Ireland announced it was imposing a lockdown, with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar imploring his citizens t

Mar 28, 2020
Cases in Italy overtake China

Korea reports 146 new virus cases, total now at 9,478

Medical workers wearing protective gear take samples from a foreign visitor at an 'Open Walking-Thru' centre for COVID-19 tests at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, Korea, March 27, 2020. EPAThe government reported 146 new cases of the novel coronavirus Saturday, bringing the nation's total infections to 9,478, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), which added that the number of fatalities had risen by five to 144. The southeastern city of Daegu and neighboring North Gyeongsang Province ― the nation's two worst-affected regions ― accounted for 73 of the 146 new cases.A total of 4,811 fully recovered novel coronavirus patients had been released from hospitals as of Saturday, up 283 from a day earlier, the KCDC said.This marked the first time the number of recovering people exceeded the number of quarantined patients since Jan. 20, when the virus was first detected here.The government Korea has begun implementing stricter rules on social distancing to slow the coronavirus pandemic that emerged in Wuhan, China, late last year.Citizens are stro

Mar 28, 2020
Korea reports 146 new virus cases, total now at 9,478

Popular Seoul park to close on virus fears

Seokchon Lake Park in Songpa Ward will close from March 28 (Saturday) to April 12. YonhapA park in southeastern Seoul, famous for its picturesque cherry blossom trees, will close until mid-April as part of precautionary measures to contain the new coronavirus. Seokchon Lake Park in Songpa District will close from Saturday to April 12, according to a Facebook post written by district chief Park Sung-soo. The district will open four gates to the park from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. every day for residents who pass through on their daily commute, according to the post.The closure comes in line with the government's continued social distancing advisory. The office has canceled an annual cherry blossom festival that draws more than 5 million visitors each year. It decided to close the park on concerns people will still visit the venue.Major cherry blossom festivals, such as ones that take place in the financial district of Yeouido and the southeastern city of Changwon, have also been canceled to prevent the virus from spreading.The government reported 9,332 cases of the new coronavirus as of Friday

Mar 28, 2020
Popular Seoul park to close on virus fears

Tourists stranded in Asia by canceled flights, shut borders

Foreign tourists who are unable to fly home due to the new coronavirus outbreak, queue up outside an immigration office to extend their visas in Bali, Indonesia, in this March 23 photo. Tourists across Asia are finding their dream vacations have turned into travel nightmares as airlines cancel flights and countries close their borders in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. APFrom the sun-soaked beaches of Thailand to the foothills of Mount Everest, tourists across Asia are finding their dream vacations have turned into travel nightmares as airlines cancel flights and countries close their borders in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.Thousands of tourists escaping cold weather in Europe were scrambling this week to find alternative ways to return home from the Thai island of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. Ksenia Vostriakova and her friends were scheduled to fly back to Moscow on an April 3 Singapore Airlines flight, but it was among those canceled when the airline slashed its operations. They have booked a flight on Qatar Airways for April 6 and are hoping nothing else ch

Mar 28, 2020
Tourists stranded in Asia by canceled flights, shut borders

British PM tests positive for COVID-19

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during his first remote news conference on the COVID-19 outbreak, in London, March 25, 2020. ReutersBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday he had tested positive for coronavirus and was self-isolating at Downing Street but would still lead the government's response to the accelerating outbreak.Johnson, 55, experienced mild symptoms on Thursday - a day after he answered at the prime minister's weekly question-and-answer session in parliament's House of Commons chamber."I've taken a test. That has come out positive," Johnson said in a video statement broadcast on Twitter. "I've developed mild symptoms of the coronavirus. That's to say - a temperature and a persistent cough."So I am working from home. I'm self-isolating," Johnson said. "Be in no doubt that I can continue, thanks to the wizardry of modern technology, to communicate with all my top team to lead the national fightback against coronavirus."It was not immediately clear how many Downing Street staff and senior ministers would now need to isolate given that many have h

Mar 27, 2020
British PM tests positive for COVID-19

Gov't vows zero tolerance on quarantine rule violators

Quarantine officials spray disinfectant on a car in front of a hospital in Daegu, Friday, as a new cluster of COVID-19 infections emerged there. YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe central government and municipal administrations have pledged a zero-tolerance policy for those who do not comply with 14-day quarantine rules imposed in as part of efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, warning that violators would face criminal charges and possible compensation suits, officials said Friday.Any foreigners who leave their self-isolation venues without permission will face deportation, officials added.The government has made it mandatory for all Korean nationals and foreigners from Europe and the United States to self-isolate in their homes or quarantine facilities if they intend to stay more than 90 days here, even if they show no symptoms.The measure comes amid a continuous increase in the number of foreign-origin coronavirus cases amid the global pandemic. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) detected 91 additional cases, Thursday, bringing the total number to 9,332. Of the

Mar 27, 2020By Jun Ji-hye
Gov't vows zero tolerance on quarantine rule violators

'Sustainable' social distancing eyed for long-term virus fight: experts

Food delivery drivers and customers sit on chairs spaced apart for social distancing, as part of the effort to contain the COVID-19 coronavirus, as they wait for takeaway orders at Central Pinklao shopping mall in Bangkok on March 26, 2020. AFPSouth Korea needs to come up with "sustainable" social distancing measures before people return to their normal lives, medical experts said Friday, as the novel coronavirus outbreak still poses a threat to public health. South Korea is pushing for strict social distancing, urging citizens to suspend operations of religious, indoor sports and entertainment facilities for 15 days until April 5.Local governments and health authorities have been taking administrative action against businesses found to be in violation of anti-COVID-19 guidelines following on-site inspections.Due to extensive quarantine efforts, South Korea has seen a slowdown in new COVID-19 infections. The daily number of new virus cases has hovered around 100 for about two weeks, with the country's total confirmed cases reaching 9,332 as of Friday. Experts said South Korea should

Mar 27, 2020
'Sustainable' social distancing eyed for long-term virus fight: experts
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