OKLAHOMA CITY – I spent two months living and working in China. The day I was scheduled to leave was my first warning about the virus that would go on to infect tens of thousands.
There, in Beijing, I was near the center of what would be ground zero of this virus that has already killed more than 2,000 people worldwide.
On the day I was to leave, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States issued a “Level 1” warning. The email told Americans in China about an outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan, China caused by a “novel coronavirus.”
The warning simply told us to treat it like any other virus and take usual precautions. Without a second thought I came home.
It was not any other virus.
Shortly after arriving back in Oklahoma health officials began screening people for the virus at airports. The CDC issued a Level 3 alert.
My friends who were still in Beijing said the once bustling city was at a standstill.
No one was outside. Everyone was wearing masks.
Surgical masks are not uncommon in Beijing given the high levels of pollution. But now my friends said stores were running out of masks. The trains to and from the city shut down.
My friends in Beijing said the government began spraying a solution in the streets to kill germs. People are told to shut their doors and windows when the spraying occurs.
Complicating an already stressful situation was the misinformation that spread faster than the virus. The Chinese government attempted to stop a panic and ensure a successful New Year celebration, but panic remained.
So what is the truth about the coronavirus?
My friends in Beijing said the government began spraying a solution in the streets to kill germs. People are told to shut their doors and windows when the spraying occurs.
The Novel Coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, was first detected in Wuhan, China. At first, the virus was believed to be linked to the large seafood and animal market. However, scientists learned the virus spreads person-to-person and not just from animals to humans.
According to The Wuhan Institute of Virology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the gene sequence of the virus is 96 percent identical to that of a virus found within bats. Zhong Nanshan, head of the Chinese governments team of medical experts, told state television CCTV that the Novel Coronavirus has the same origin as a virus found in bats in 2017. Currently, genetic testing is being carried out on various types of wild animals to figure out the cause.
As the Coronavirus spreads, more countries are taking preventative measures against it.
CNN reported there are cases in more than two dozen countries including the United States.
