The Coronavirus and what no one is talking about!

The Novel Coronavirus (nCoV)

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the 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.  

The Coronaviruses are zoonotic, this means that they can and will be easily transmitted between animals and people. Years ago, around the early 2000s investigations show that the SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV in 2012 was found to be from dromedary camels to humans. It is important to note that today, several known Coronaviruses are still in existence and circulate in animals but have not yet infected humans.

The typical signs and symptoms of the viral infection include sever respiratory issues, fever, cough, shortness of breath along with other breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, kidney failure and even death.

All this scary but where did this new strain ‘seem’ to emerge from?

The Untold Story

New data suggest the Coronavirus may not have originated in Wuhan’s seafood market and that China probably knew that weeks ago.

The lack of transparency could have hurt containment efforts and could prolong the outbreak’s impact.

CCN NEWS – Laura Hoy

Today not only has the virus spread, with statistics showing that the death toll has risen by more than 250 people and more than 12000 infections.

The virus can be spread by one person to another even before the symptoms show.

Above is an interactive map that allows one to be able to see the live active cases of the Coronavirus and its spread worldwide this Interactive map can be accessed here to see the latest statistics about the deadly virus, you could even click the image.

The untold story however is that this virus is known to have first been detected on Chinese soil in early December. The Chinese government however did not however disclose any information about the first known case to the public as it ‘run’ investigations.

The first case of this virus was however first discovered two months ago, on December 8th, 2019. It took that long before the Chinese government stopped downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak and started giving the kind of information that could save lives. By this time however, millions of Chinese citizens had passed through the affected region and been infected by the deadly virus.

China: Covering the Coronavirus Contagion | The Listening Post (Full)

It all started in Wuhan China a seafood market. On January 18th, 2020 the people of Wuhan were invited to a pot-locked dinner attended by many families in Wuhan. What they did not know however is that two weeks earlier scientists in Hong Kong however had already flagged the emergence of a new strain of the Coronavirus but no one in that banquet had a clue of what was going on.

No one can control the growth of a pandemic but in a country like China what they can control is what people know about it.

China: Covering the Coronavirus Contagion | The Listening Post (Full)

The scientists warned that the virus could be spread from person to person but the people in Wuhan knew nothing about it the media, which is mainly controlled by the government was not talking about it.

The government had the ability to control what was going on to the media and social media sites too. The government was infact arresting people who were posting about the Coronavirus, on the allegation that they were spreading rumors.

Overtime several leaks and rumors started to make it out to the public many of which were spread through WeChat which has more than a billion users.

People began to spread rumors, that say the virus was engineered in a lab and that it could be prevented by drinking bleach and having supplements such as Vitamin C.

By January 20th however the death toll was rising and the number of known cases was growing not only locally but also worldwide, forcing the Chinese government to come clean about what they knew. The next weeks would witness the spreading at an unprecedented rate, with cases in more than 10 countries. The WHO then declared it a worldwide epidemic that needed immediate attention.

The truth?

The truth is that the virus originated from seafood market in Wuhan China, in this market certain wildlife was also known to be sold illegally

On February 2, officials in Hubei said the virus had a 96 percent concordance with an already-known bat-borne coronavirus. Chinese scientists had previously mentioned snakes as a possible source.

This is however another situation where governments and its restraints on the media continue to accelerate situations that would otherwise easily be addressed if action was taken earlier.

In the early 2000s with the MERS-CoV the government held the details of the outbreak for 6 months before it could be declared a deadly epidemic.

Where do we go from here though?

The WHO advises us to do the following:

WHO’s standard recommendations for the general public to reduce exposure to and transmission of a range of illnesses are as follows, which include hand and respiratory hygiene, and safe food practices:

• Frequently clean hands by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water;
• When coughing and sneezing cover mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue – throw tissue away immediately and wash hands;
• Avoid close contact with anyone who has fever and cough;
• If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing seek medical care early and share previous travel history with your health care provider;
• When visiting live markets in areas currently experiencing cases of novel coronavirus, avoid direct unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals;
• The consumption of raw or undercooked animal products should be avoided. Raw meat, milk or animal organs should be handled with care, to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods, as per good food safety practices.

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What is happening in China right now?

“Efforts to contain the outbreak have caused major disruption in China, with almost 20 cities facing travel restrictions, affecting at least 56 million people. Screening stations have been set up at bus, train and plane terminals nationwide.

China has banned the wildlife trade and extended the Lunar New Year holiday until February 2 to prevent transmission accelerating when people return from holidays.

Several countries have evacuated their citizens from Wuhan, while others have banned entry to Chinese citizens. Scores of airlines have suspended flights to and from China.”  -Courtesy: Al Jazeera News –

Mega Resources

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

First Wuhan coronavirus death confirmed outside mainland China – CNN

China coronavirus: All you need to know in 500 words – Al Jazeera

Coronavirus Heat map – John Hopkins CSSE

Video Resources