- The recent coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
- Known as SARS-CoV-2, the virus has resulted in more than 600,000 infections and 27,000 deaths.
- SARS-CoV-2 infection causes a respiratory illness called COVID-19.
- COVID-19 has now been reported on every continent except Antarctica.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) publish their latest confirmed numbers on this situation dashboard every day.
- Keep up to date with the latest research and information about COVID-19 here.
03/27/2020 14:12 GMT — UK’s prime minister and health secretary test positive for COVID-19
Over the last 24 hours, Boris Johnson, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, developed fever and a cough. Today, a test confirmed that he has COVID-19. Following Johnson’s announcement, the health secretary Matt Hancock released a statement saying that he, too, had tested positive.
In a video posted to Twitter, Johnson said he plans to “continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight this virus. […] I want to thank everybody involved and, of course, our amazing [National Health Service] staff.”
Both Hancock and Johnson report that their symptoms are mild and that they are self-isolating.
Click here for more detail.
03/27/2020 10:34 GMT — WHO launch large-scale trial to test a range of coronavirus treatments.
The WHO recently launched SOLIDARITY, a multipronged study trialing a range of potential treatments for COVID-19, both new and old. The treatments they are testing include remdesivir, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir plus ritonavir, and lopinavir plus ritonavir and interferon-beta.
Medical researchers designed all of the treatments above for other conditions, but all have shown some promise against SARS-CoV-2.
Scientists originally trialed Remdesivir as a treatment for Ebola; chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are antimalarial drugs; doctors use lopinavir and ritonavir to treat HIV infections, and interferon-beta treats multiple sclerosis.
Read more about SOLIDARITY here.
03/27/2020 09:30 GMT — Study supports the theory that pangolins are the link between bats and humans
Earlier studies suggested that SARS-CoV-2 started in bats before moving into pangolins, and then, finally, into humans. Later studies concluded that snakes might be the missing link. However, the latest paper refutes this theory, adding more evidence that pangolins are the link.
Most scientists agree that bats are a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2. They also agree that to reach humans, the virus needs an intermediate host.
This was the case in earlier outbreaks. For instance, experts believe that severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) first moved from bats to civet cats before infecting humans.
Using larger datasets, the authors of the recent paper identified errors in the earlier analyses and concluded that “the pangolin [is] a missing link in the transmission of [SARS-CoV-2] from bats to human.” However, the authors also explain that we cannot yet rule out other intermediate hosts.
Read more about COVID-19 research here.
03/27/2020 09:03 GMT — Number of US cases surpasses China
As of yesterday, the United States have registered more cases of COVID-19 than China. At the time of writing, the U.S. have reported 85,991 cases, compared with China’s 81,782.
Officials in the most affected areas of the U.S. are increasingly concerned about the lack of medical equipment and hospital beds. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a press conference, “Any scenario that is realistic will overwhelm the capacity of the healthcare system.”
As the number of cases in the U.S. increases, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with Trump and offered China’s support. In a tweet, Trump wrote that they are now “working closely together.”
Find out more about the situation in the U.S. here.
