2020 02 06(381A)

North American Economic Herald Issue I

Special Edition

February 6, 2020

CALL TO ACTION

SUPPORT THE FIGHT AGAINST THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

D

ear Community Leaders and Fellow Organizations,

With a rising death toll and sweeping ramifications of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, we are now at a critical juncture of combating a global health emergency. As concerned citizens and reputable organizations, we must assume our social responsibilities of supporting ground efforts at the forefront and helping alleviate this grave crisis of public health!

In this critical light, the Greater Miami Asian Business Coalition (GMABC) calls for a unified campaign to coordinate plans and resources toward managing the CoV outbreak and contain its dangerous spread. Initiated by the GMABC, this timely alliance will be led through a democratic process by a consortium of pertinent public agencies, mega businesses and prominent civil society organizations!

Under this strategic alliance, we can effectively align our actions to: 1.

Contribute much-needed supplies and funds to severely affected areas and ensure their timely delivery through reputable channels; 2.

Launch consistent, transparent and truthful efforts of public education regarding CoV to build awareness and avoid destructive panic; 3.

Support national efforts of airport screenings, border controls, vaccination research and other relevant measures to contain the global outbreak.

If uncontained, this deadly outbreak would result in colossal damages to human well-being, economic affairs and social stability. It is a truly global challenge that doesn’t respect any boundaries. As various national governments including the U.S. government are starting to tighten travel and shipping restrictions, uncoordinated individual actions would yield less-than-desirable results. On the other hand, the GMABC has had productive working relationships with a slew of official Chinese entities in public affairs, diplomacy and education, which will help build better channels of communication and action planning toward crisis management.

United we become stronger!

If you decide to be part of this important initiative, kindly reply to T: 305-890-0185 / E: admin@gmabc.com with a “Yes”!

We will put your organization on our honorary list of participation! Upon your confirmation, we will reach out shortly to discuss strategies and specific actions under the alliance.

Greater Miami Asian Business Coalition About Us: The Greater Miami Asian Business Coalition (GMABC) is a non-profit and nonpolitical organization based in Florida. The GMABC works to facilitate commercial and cultural

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Amidst the Novel Coronavirus Outbreak, Cooler Heads and Solidarity Prevail WENYUAN WU

As of Tuesday morning, there have been 2 Coronavirus-related fatalities outside of mainland China: one in the Philippines and the latest in Hong Kong. In total, coronavirus cases worldwide have increased to over 20,000, with the majority in China and growing numbers all over the globe.

Here at Princeton University, the school authorities ordered as many as 108 students who had traveled to China recently to self-quarantine. As international attention rises accompanied by utmost precautions taken by many institutions, the CoV outbreak is truly a global crisis that requires extraordinary measures coordinated by public and private efforts on a multi-national scale.

To combat the crisis in the face of rising deaths and painful memories of MERS, SARS, H1N1, Zika and Ebola, we need supplies as well as information-- truthful and authoritative information which then can be disseminated in a timely and transparent fashion.

Key Facts of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov)

The 2019 CoV outbreak is a rapidly evolving situation under close monitoring of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The Chinese government has mounted responses to the emerging situation with centralized efforts to build a massive hospital in 10 days to combat the virus and impose pertinent restrictions. As of monday, february 1, 20,438 people had been confirmed

infections. On Tuesday, China’s Health Commission reported 425 deaths and 632 recoveries nationwide. On January 30, the U.S. reported the first confirmed case of person-to-person spread with the virus, while most of the infected cases are associated with travel from the epicenter Wuhan in China’s Hubei Province.

Coronaviruses belong to a sizable family of viruses common in animals including bats, camels and cattle. As Chinese health authorities first posted the full genome of the 2019 CoV publicly, it was determined that the 2019-nCov is a betacoronovarius with origins in bats. Currently, there is no evidence that pets at home can spread the new virus. According to the WHO, common flu vaccines won’t protect against the disease which requires its own vaccine. It can’t be prevented with homeopathic remedies such as garlic or sesame oil. Neither will any antibiotics work to battle a virus. While older people with underlying medical should take precautionary steps.

Caution Against Pandemic Panic

On January 30, 2020, the WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern”. On Tuesday, WHO’s Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness office clarified that the deadly outbreak does not constitute a “pandemic”. In the U.S., the CDC does not recommend the general public use face masks based on the current state of the outbreak here and instead urges people to stay vigilant to the symptoms

and signs of the disease. Routine personal hygiene measures such as washing hands are equally important. In the meantime, various public health authorities have warned against “pandemic panic” which would severely compromise limit medical responses and incite counterproductive public fears.

Solidarity and Collaboration without Politics

China is among the U.S.’s top 3 trading partners. In 2018, nearly 2.5 million Chinese immigrants lived in the United States. Both extensive economic interdependence and deep-rooted people-to-people exchanges between the two countries warrant conducive cooperation at this critical time. Now is the high time for internationally-minded businesses, Asian-American communities throughout the country and ordinary citizens to give serious thoughts on our social responsibilities as pertinent to the outbreak. We must set aside political differences and work together for a noble humanitarian cause.

About the Author wenyuan Wu holds a PhD in International Studies from the University of Miami. She previously served as a Distinguished Research Fellow at the university’s Center for Latin American Studies, and her dissertation focused on the corporate social responsibility of Chinese national oil companies in Latin America, and has previously been published on the South China Morning Post, China Dialogue, and Oil Price, among other outlets. At the North American Economic Herald, Dr. Wu is in charge of business outreach and professional research.

Florida Local Chinese-American Groups Mobilize to Helping Alleviate the CoV-19 Outbreak NAEH Editorial Team

The rapid development of the Wuhan Coronavirus crisis has united millions of oversea Chinese since last December. In Florida, a succession of Chinese-American organizations have launched a series of proactive initiatives during this time of urgency and crisis, to raise necessary funds, secure much-needed supplies and share timely information regarding the outbreak as well as crisis management measures.

This voluntary consortium of Chinese-American organizations based in Florida include the following: Florida Chinese Association of Science, Education and Culture of South Florida (CASEC), Florida Hubei Chinese Association Miami and Tampa Chapters, Florida Hunan Chinese Association, American Chinese Culinary Federation Florida Chapter, Florida Chinese Business Association, Peter Wang Foundation, various regional associations and so on.

zvIn a collective spirit, this emergency consortium urges all societal organizations in Florida and Chinese Americans to come together and assist the CoV-affected regions in China within our reach. Our hope is that those who were struck with the egregious illness will have speedy recoveries, while all our fellow Chinese will receive maximum help in crisis alleviation.

In spite of the huge physical distance between Florida and China, our local Chinese-American community has diligently organized philanthropic activities through the Internet and the We-Chat platform. From making electronic transfers via paypal/zelle to sending checks to donating supplies of protective masks, we have been eager to demonstrate our solidarity and concerns during this extraordinary time.

At present, the consortium has purchased protective gear worthy of thousands of dollars and donated tens of thousands of dollars, both of which are expected to be delivered to Wuhan and its surrounding areas through the latest express channel.

CASEC members (left to Right) Liangren Xu, Philya Li, Yaoyang Yan, Dawn, Zhongkai Zhong, Lian Mo ship goods to Wuhan. (Picture by CASEC Feb 4, 2020)

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Photo by Huang Shifeng/chinadaily.com.cn

China Deploys Hundreds of Military Doctors to Treat Coronavirus, state media says Many have worked to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Ebola Virus Dawn Liu, Yuliya Talmazan and Eric Baculinao.

Hundreds of doctors and medical personnel have been drafted in from China’s military to treat patients infected by the deadly new coronavirus, the country’ state media reported Sunday.

As the number of dead in the country topped 300, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported that 1,400 medical specialists would staff a new hospital in the city of Wuhan, where the disease is believed to have originated. NBC News has been unable to verify the report.

Built specifically to handle patients with the coronavirus, it took workers just 10 days to complete work on the Huoshenshan Hospital which has a capacity for 1000 beds, intensive care units and sections for diagnosis and infection control, according to Xinhua.

Construction of the hospital began on Jan. 24, and it’s expected to open its doors on Monday. A second dedicated hospital with 1,300 beds is also expected to be ready by Feb. 5.

The report came as it emerged that the number of confirmed cases in the country had grown to 14,380 and 304 people had died from the disease, according to Chinese health officials.

Nearly 137,600 people are under medical observation, they said.

A 44-year-old resident of Wuhan who traveled to the Philippines also passed away, World Health Organization officials in the country confirmed late Saturday.

They were the first person confirmed to have died from the virus outside of China, although the officials said a mix of pathogens, including streptococcus pneumoniae and influenza, was found in the patient. They also noted that it was an imported case, with no evidence of local transmission.

Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, responded by banning travel from the island nation to China. Foreign nationals coming directly from China will also be barred from entering the country. The move follows a similar ban by the U.S., Australia and a number of other countries.

Wuhan, a city with around 11 million residents, has been on lockdown to stop the spread of the virus for over a week.

Xinhua said the military doctors were drafted with the approval of China’s president Xi Jinping. Many of the medical staff who will be working at the hospital have worked in the past to treat Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which the novel coronavirus is related to, and the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone and Liberia, the agency added.

Meanwhile in the U.S., health officials in Massachusetts confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the state after a man returning from Wuhan tested positive for the virus. This is the eighth confirmed case of coronavirus in the country.

U.S. officials declared the virus a public health emergency Friday and announced that they would prohibit foreign nationals, other than immediate family of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, who have traveled to China within the last 14 days from entering the country — a move that sparked condemnation from Beijing.

The U.S. State Department has also issued a “do not travel” advisory for China.

NBC News, February 1, 2020.

Asian-American Community Leader Yukong Zhao Urges American Red Cross to Set up a “China Coronavirus Relief” Fund To Help Better Combat the Epidemic Asian-American Community Leader Yukong Zhao Urges American Red Cross to Set up a “China Coronavirus Relief” Fund To Help Better Combat the Epidemic On February 4, 2020, Asian-American community leader Yukong Zhao sent a letter to President and CEO of American Red Cross, Ms. Gail J. McGovern, urging the organization to set up China Coronavirus Relief Account to help better combat this lethal epidemic.

In his letter, Mr. Zhao commended the grass-root relief movement organized by many altruistic Americans and Chinese-American organizations to help combat the Coronavirus outbreak in China. In the meantime, he pointed out some challenges facing this decentralized movement: • Organizers have to shop many stores and pay retail prices to buy the goods, rather than low factory/wholesale prices.

• Some people hesitate to donate to lesser-known grass-root organizations due to mistrust.

• A lack of coordination with the Chinese government may lead to misaligned purchasing decisions, and thus fall short of providing the Chinese people what they need the most.

• According to media reporting, the less coordinated approach and panic by local residents have caused temporary shortage of masks in certain American cities.

Mr. Zhao made a recommendation to Ms. McGovern: “I believe if American Red Cross sets up a special relief account and takes leadership on this relief effort, you can help resolve the above issues effectively. With your trusted name, more people will join the honorable cause while many corporations are likely to match the donations, expanding the efforts. At this critical juncture, let’s help save more human lives in a well-organized way!”

Once again, Mr. Zhao demonstrates his compassion of helping those in need.

A few years ago, after being personally touched by the devastations of the 2009 financial crisis, he published a book (The Chinese Secrets for Success: Five Inspiring Confucian Values) and many columns in Orlando Sentinel to help struggling families in America

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February 6, 2020

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Prominent Asian-American Community Leader Yukong Zhao, Running for U.S. Congress to Restore the American Dream

Mr. Zhao, a nationally recognized Asian-American leader in fighting against anti-Asian discrimination by Harvard and other colleges, is running for the U.S. Congress. Residing in Orlando, Florida, Mr. Zhao is a Republican candidate for Florida’s 7th Congressional District.

At this critical juncture where far-left extremism and partisan brinkmanship threaten the prospects of our constitutional Republic, Mr. Zhao has decided to serve in public office to fiercely defend our constitutional principles and liberties. Having started his journey of defending equal opportunity and freedom of speech, he wants to do more to prevent America from being turned into a socialist nation!

Mr. Zhao brings with him a wealth of knowledge in the business world and a proven track record as a nationally recognized leader and prominent conservative voice on equal education rights for ALL Americans. He cares deeply about America and Central Florida.

Personally touched by the devastations of the 2009 financial crisis, Yukong published a book and many columns in the Orlando Sentinel to help struggling families in America. His life story of surviving socialism and thriving in America with hard-work, grit and determination is truly inspirational.

As a trusted, compassionate and proven leader and problem-solver, Mr. Zhao will bring practical and cost-effective, smart solutions to the U.S. Congress to address major socioeconomic challenges of his district and of our nation

Mr. Zhao draws support from a broad base of conservative constituents, moderate Democrats, small business owners and industry professionals. Please join thousands of others to support his campaign to restore American Dream for all American citizens and legal residents!

To learn more about Mr. Yukong Zhao and his campaign pledges, please visit his official website at https://yukongzhaoforcongress.com/.

You can also donate to his campaign at https://secure.winred.com/YukongZhao/donate and/or join his team as a volunteer at https://yukongzhaoforcongress.com/volunteer.

Coronavirus: Myth Busters Advice for the public Issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) Is it safe to receive a letter or a package from China?

Yes, it is safe. People receiving packages from China are not at risk of contracting the new coronavirus. From previous analysis, we know coronaviruses do not survive long on objects, such as letters or packages Can pets at home spread the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV)?

At present, there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus. However, it is always a good idea to wash your hands with soap and water after contact with pets. This protects you against various common bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella that can pass between pets and humans.

Do vaccines against pneumonia protect you against the new coronavirus?

No. Vaccines against pneumonia, such as pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccine, do not provide protection against the new coronavirus.The virus is so new and different that it needs its own vaccine. Researchers are trying to develop a vaccine against 2019-nCoV, and WHO is supporting their efforts.

Although these vaccines are not effective against 2019-nCoV, vaccination against respiratory illnesses is highly recommended to protect your health.

Can regularly rinsing your nose with saline help prevent infection with the new coronavirus?

Does putting on sesame oil block the new coronavirus from entering the body?

No. There is no evidence that regularly rinsing the nose with saline has protected people from infection with the new coronavirus.

There is some limited evidence that regularly rinsing nose with saline can help people recover more quickly from the common cold. However, regularly rinsing the nose has not been shown to prevent respiratory infections.

No. Sesame oil does not kill the new coronavirus. There are some chemical disinfectants that can kill the 2019-nCoV on surfaces. These include bleach/chlorine-based disinfectants, either solvents, 75% ethanol, peracetic acid and chloroform.

However, they have little or no impact on the virus if you put them on the skin or under your nose. It can even be dangerous to put these chemicals on your skin.

Can gargling mouthwash protect you from infection with the new coronavirus?

No. There is no evidence that using mouthwash will protect you from infection with the new coronavirus.

Some brands or mouthwash can eliminate certain microbes for a few minutes in the saliva in your mouth.

However, this does not mean they protect you from 2019-nCoV infection.

Can eating garlic help prevent infection with the new coronavirus?

Garlic is a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties. However, there is no evidence from the current outbreak that eating garlic has protected people from the new coronavirus.

Does the new coronavirus affect older people, or are younger people also susceptible?

People of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

Older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus.

WHO advises people of all ages to take steps to protect themselves from the virus, for example by following good hand hygiene and good respiratory hygiene.

North American Economic Herald

February 6, 2020

Coronavirus outbreak not yet pandemic, World Health Organization says

The deadly coronavirus outbreak that has spread from China does not yet constitute a “pandemic”, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a new disease, according to the WHO. At least 427 people have died with more than 20,000 confirmed cases around the world, most of them in China.

More than two dozen nations have reported cases but, so far, no confirmations have been made across Africa or Latin America.

On Tuesday, three more Asian countries - Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand - confirmed infections among citizens who had not travelled to China.

Officials say 425 people have died in China and one in Hong Kong.

One death has also been confirmed in the Philippines.

The new coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory infection and symptoms usually start with a fever, followed by a dry cough.

Among the main developments on Tuesday: -Taiwan said that from Friday it would deny entry to all foreign nationals who have been to mainland China in the past 14 days -Macau - a special administrative region of China and one of Asia’s biggest gambling hubs - announced that it would temporarily close down all its casinos -The UK government told all Britons in China to leave the country if they can.

Many other nations are continuing to evacuate their citizens from affected areas of China

Health officials are screening about 3,700 people on board a cruise ship off Japan after a passenger tested positive for the virus.

On Monday, China’s top leadership admitted “shortcomings and deficiencies” in the country’s response to the outbreak, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, Hubei province.

The rare admission came from the Politburo Standing Committee, which called for an improvement in China’s emergency management system and ordered a “severe” crackdown on illegal wildlife markets, where the virus is thought to have emerged.

What did the WHO say?

Sylvie Briand, head of WHO’s Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness division, acknowledged that there was rapid spread of transmission in Hubei but said the situation “currently” was not a pandemic.

She praised how Chinese authorities had responded to the outbreak, voicing hopes that the world could “get rid of this virus”. She also stressed the importance of tackling unfounded rumors.

“When you deal with an epidemic, you rapidly see that in addition to the epidemic of diseases, we often have an epidemic of information. And this is what we call ‘infodemic’,” she said.

“And so we have realized over time that this infodemic could be really an obstacle for good response and hamper effective implementation of counter-measures.”

BBC News, February 4, 2020.

As virus fallout widens, China readies more measures to stabilize economy KEVIN YAO

Chinese policymakers are readying measures to support an economy jolted by a coronavirus outbreak that is expected to have a devastating impact on first-quarter growth, policy sources said. The sources said the government is debating whether to lower the planned 2020 economic growth target of around 6 percent, which many private sector economists see as well beyond China’s reach.

With the death toll from the virus epidemic climbing to over 420 and risks to growth mounting, China’s central bank is likely to lower its key lending rate - the loan prime rate (LPR) - on Feb. 20, and cut banks’ reserve requirement ratios (RRRs) in the coming weeks, said the sources who are involved in internal policy discussion.

“Currently, monetary policy is being loosened, but the central bank will follow a step-by-step approach and watch the virus situation,” said a policy insider.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has already pumped in hundreds of billions of dollars into the financial system this week as it attempted to restore investor confidence and as global markets shuddered at the potentially damaging impact of the virus on world growth. In the past two days, the PBOC has injected 1.7 trillion yuan ($242.74 billion) through open market operations.

In order to minimize job losses, China’s stability-obsessed leaders are likely to sign-off on more spending, tax relief and subsidies for virus-hit sectors, alongside further monetary easing to spur bank lending and lower borrowing costs for businesses, according to the policy insiders.

“We have policy reserves and will step up policy support for the economy. The most urgent task is to put the virus outbreak under control,” said a source who advises the government, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Support measures will be concentrated on the retail, catering, logistics, transportation and tourism sectors, which are likely to be hit hard

and are especially vulnerable to job losses, they said.

Increased government spending could push up the annual budget deficit relative ratio to 3% this year from 2.8% in 2019, and local governments could be allowed to issue more debt to fund infrastructure projects, the policy insiders said.

Policymakers deem targeted measures as more effective than unfettered credit easing at this stage, given that the outbreak has weighed on factory and investment activities due to the extended holiday in some regions, the insiders said.

The Lunar New Year holiday has been effectively extended by 10 days in many parts of China including powerhouse regions such as Shandong province and the cities of Suzhou and Shanghai, while transport networks have been curtailed to curb the spread of the disease. More than 40 foreign airlines have suspended flights to China.

“It’s necessary to step up policy support for the economy but we don’t need to use strong stimulus at this stage,” said one of the policy insiders.

While Beijing has rolled out a series of support measures in the last two years, mainly in the form of higher infrastructure spending and tax cuts, leaders have pledged they will not embark on massive stimulus like that during the 2008-09 global crisis, which saddled the economy with a mountain of debt.

The PBOC has cut the RRR, or the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves, eight times since early 2018, with the latest reduction taking effect on Jan. 6. It has also lowered its key lending rates modestly since August.

China’s economy grew 6% in the fourth quarter, bringing 2019 expansion to 6.1% in 2019, the weakest in nearly three decades as demand at home and abroad weakened in part due to the bitter Sino-U.S. trade war. Growth of about 5.6% this year is seen enough for meeting the long-term gross domestic product target.

This year is symbolically crucial for the ruling Communist Party to fulfill its goal of doubling GDP and incomes in the decade to 2020, turning China into a “moderately prosperous” nation.

Chinese leaders face a more challenging job than they did during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2002-03, as the economy is now driven more by consumption and services, and growth has been on a downward trajectory.

The virus has killed 425 and infected 20,438 in China, most of them in central Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak.

“It’s hard to see a turning point in the outbreak. First-quarter GDP growth could dip below 5% and the impact may persist in the second quarter,” said Wang Jun, chief economist at Zhongyuan Bank.

Many private economists have lowered their growth outlook for China, with Louis Kuijs at Oxford Economics forecasting 5.4% growth in 2020, compared with 6% previously.

Tao Wang, China economist at UBS, predicted first-quarter growth could dip to 3.8%, and 5.4% for the whole year.

During the SARS outbreak, China’s growth slowed to 9.1% in the second quarter of 2003 from 11.1% in the first, before rebounding to 10% in June-September, bringing the full-year expansion to 10%.

Reuteurs Business News, February 4, 2020.

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WWF Statement in Support of China’s Temporary Ban on Wild Animal Trade Over Suspected Link to Coronavirus In response to the Chinese National Forest & Grassland Administration’s (NFGA) decision to implement a strict ban on all wildlife trade and check all wildlife breeding and utilization permits due to suspected link between wild animal trade and the outbreak of the Coronavirus, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) issued the following statement:

“

We are deeply saddened by the loss of lives through the Coronavirus outbreak and our thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones, or who are sick. The Chinese National Forest & Grassland Administration (NFGA) has recently deployed a series of epidemic prevention and control measures. And we welcome the announcement by the NFGA and relevant departments in China to implement a strict ban on all wildlife trade and check all wildlife breeding and utilization permits. China’s decision to place a temporary ban on all wild animal trade underscores the need for greater public awareness about not just any associated threats to human health posed by illegal or unregulated wildlife trade, but also its impact on wild populations and on global biodiversity.

“We appreciate the immediate action taken by China’s law enforcement agencies at various levels to close wildlife markets in the wake of the outbreak of the new coronavirus suspected to have originated from Wuhan, and its efforts in recent years to crack down on illegal wildlife trade. While closing wildlife markets could have a major impact, bans alone will not stop the illegal wildlife trade if demand persists. This health crisis must serve as a wake-up call for the need to end unsustainable use of endangered animals and their parts, as exotic pets, for food consumption and for their perceived medicinal value.

World Wildlife Fund Press Release, January 27, 2020

Synthesis: Overseas Support to China in The Fight against The Novel Coronavirus Outbreak Jiang Qiaomei, Hua Yi, Xu Jianmei, Yuan Mengchen, Zheng Wei, Wang Wei, Guo Xinhui The outbreak of pneumonia in China’s novel coronavirus infection has touched the hearts of friends from all over the world and overseas Chinese expats, who have donated funds and medical supplies to support China’s epidemic prevention and control efforts.

Oita Prefecture is Wuhan’s friendly city in Japan. The local government sent 30,000 masks to Wuhan on January 27th after learning about the outbreak of a new type of coronavirus infection pneumonia in Wuhan. The carton full of masks were decorated with a message in Chinese--”Cheer up Wuhan”. Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan also donated 50,000 masks to its friendly city of Chongqing on January 28th.

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on January 29th that an aircraft carrying a batch of supporting materials was headed to China.

These supplies include about 15,000 masks, 50,000 pairs of gloves, 8,000 pairs of goggles, 2,000 medical masks and 50 sets of protective clothing. The plane was also accompanied by roughly 20,000 protective suits donated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

At the same time, Chinese living overseas have also expressed utmost concerns about the development of the epidemic prevention and control back home. A team of Chinese volunteers in Thailand called on their fellow Chinese compatriots to contribute to the coordinated purchase of medical masks for the people in the affected areas. After

the fundraising message was sent out, Chinese expats in the country actively participated by donating and organizing the purchase of masks. The first batch of 300,000 medical masks were transported to China by auspicious air flight at 3 a.m. on January 29th. The second and third batches of masks will also arrive shortly.

Several overseas Chinese associations in the Philippines also donated a total of 4 million yuan to the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on January 28th, in addition to medical supplies with a total value of approximately 1.3 million yuan. The generous donations have been sent to China to assist in the prevention and control of the outbreak of novel coronavirus.

In just three days, Huayuan Association, an emerging Chinese group in Singapore, had raised 3,580 masks, 259,000 pairs of gloves, 144 pairs of goggles and 50 sets of protective clothing, which will be shipped to China. Wang Quancheng, president of Huayuan Association, told reporters that at present, the supply of epidemic-related materials in Singapore is also relatively tight. As a result, the Chinese expats used multiple channels to facilitate the purchases with genuine hopes to help China to overcome the epidemic at an early date.

The All-Japan Overseas Chinese Federation, in collaboration with the Japan Chinese Professors Conference, sent a caring letter to the people of Wuhan and the medical workers fighting in the frontline on

January 25th, expressing their support. The organizations also pledged that they would be always ready to support, and called on all Chinese expats in Japan to join the community in the rescue efforts.

Quanzhou Chamber of Commerce in Japan, along with Jinjiang Township Association of Japan and other organizations also utilized different channels to purchase donated medical gloves, masks and other medical supplies.

In recent days, overseas Chinese from all over the United States have made contributions to support our homeland in the fight against the epidemic. Since Wuhan “is on lockdown”, a group of volunteers made use of a multifaceted collaboration online office program summary to create “Hubei first-line demand and non-governmental assistance information” as well as fundraising and transport channels.

Zhang Xuefeng, president of the Florida Chinese Chamber of Commerce, told journalists of Xinhua that after the epidemic situation escalated, he and local Chinese leaders immediately postponed the Spring Festival activities they had planned to raise donations and medical supplies. Chinese groups in the greater Miami area are mobilizing to coordinate suppprting efforts, and “everyone is doing something within their power.”

Xinhua News Agency, January 29th, 2020

“

“WWF encourages the Chinese government to continue its efforts to reduce demand for wildlife, raise public awareness and work with other governments, conservation organisations, the private sector and local communities to end the illegal wildlife trade. WWF stands ready to provide technical support for monitoring illegal wildlife trade and to help build law enforcement capacity to assist the effective closure of wildlife markets.

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LG Group Supporting China’s CoV-19 Efforts Shi Feiyue

Beijing Business learned from LG Group that the group’s subsidiaries had decided to give donations and aid to China to help local residents restore their lives and quickly curb the spread of the new coronavirus outbreak. It is reported that these companies include LG Electronics, LG Chemical, LG Life Health, LG Display and other subsidiaries of the LG Group in the Chinese market.

LG Group has procured 1.2 million professional protective masks and 10,000 sets of protective clothing and other relief supplies, with plans to transfer these items to Wuhan and other affected areas in early February.

According to LG Group officials, they are currently in communication with the local government in China to carry out support procedures of emergency supplies. At the same time, the group also plans to donate 3 million yuan in cash through the Chinese Red Cross. The subsidiaries of the LG Group are companies that have operated in the Chinese market for many years, while the factories of the LG group are also

nvolved in the support efforts.

LG Group owns more than 70 subsidiaries, including LG Electronics, LG Display, LG Chemical, LG Health, LG Hausys, LG U-plus, with global sales of about $140 billion and a total of 250,000 employees. LG Group established a production base in China in 1995, which is currently operating more than 40 plants in Nanjing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Yantai and other places in production of television, home appliances, displays, batteries, petrochemicals and other products BEIJING BUSINESS NEWS, JANUARY 31 , 2020.

Cornoavirus Spreads to Wisconsin as Hundreds More Americans Return to U.S. from Outbreak’s epicenter

Health officials in Wisconsin confirmed its first case of coronavirus Wednesday, raising the total number of cases in the U.S. to 12. Earlier, hundreds more Americans evacuated from the city at the center of the outbreak landed in California.

The two planes, carrying about 350 people in total, arrived at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in Southern California.

All the passengers will spend up to two weeks under quarantine in California while they are monitored for symptoms of the potentially deadly new virus.

As of Wednesday morning the death toll from the virus stood at 492 — virtually all of them in mainland China — with more than 24,000 others infected. As CBS News correspondent Ramy Inocencio reports, all 65 of the deaths confirmed between Tuesday and Wednesday were fromChina’s central Hubei province, where Wuhan is located and where the evacuated Americans had been staying.

An American was one of 10 passengers on a Japanese cruise ship that tested positive for the coronavirus.

That individual and the others infected were transferred Wednesday to a Japanese hospital. Thousands of others passengers remained quarantined on the ship.

CBC News, February 5, 2020

Getty Images

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Americans from China to be Quarntined in Nebraska and Texas Alex Sundby

Two groups of Americans being evacuated from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak will be quarantined in Nebraska and Texas, U.S. health officials said Wednesday. The two flights carrying the Americans are expected to land at an airport in Omaha, Nebraska, and a military base in San Antonio on Thursday, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters.

Messonnier said she didn't know exactly how many people would be on the flights. They will be under quarantine for two weeks.

The Americans on the Omaha flight won't enter Eppley Airfield's terminal, Nebraska Medicine health network said in a statement. They will arrive at an isolated aircraft parking area, and they will be taken to a National Guard facility near Ashland, Nebraska, according to the statement.

Baby tests positive for coronavirus 30 hours after birth A baby in China's epidemic-hit Wuhan city has been diagnosed with the coronavirus just 30 hours after being born, Chinese state media reported Wednesday. The infant is the youngest person recorded as

being infected by the virus, which has killed nearly 500 people since emerging late last year.

CCTV quoted experts as saying it may be a case of "vertical transmission", referring to infections passed from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or immediately after. The mother had tested positive for the virus before she gave birth.

CBS News, February 5, 2020

How does the new Coronavirus compare with the Flu Rachael Rettner

The new coronavirus outbreak has made headlines in recent weeks, but there's another viral epidemic hitting countries around the world: flu season. But how do these viruses compare, and which one is really more worrisome?

So far, the new coronavirus, dubbed 2019-nCoV, has led to more than 20,000 illnesses and 427 deaths in China, as well as more than 200 illnesses and two deaths outside of mainland China. But that's nothing compared with the flu, also called influenza. In the U.S. alone, the flu has already caused an estimated 19 million illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

That said, scientists have studied seasonal flu for decades. So, despite the danger of it, we know a lot about flu viruses and what to expect each season. In contrast, very little is known about 2019-nCoV because it's so new. This means 2019nCoV is something of a wild card in terms of how far it will spread and how many deaths it will cause.

"Despite the morbidity and mortality with influenza, there's a certainty … of seasonal flu," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a White House press conference on Jan. 31. "I can tell you all, guaranteed, that as we get into March and April, the flu cases are going to go down. You could predict pretty accurately what the range of the mortality is and the hospitalizations [will be]," Fauci said. "The issue now with [2019-nCoV] is that there's a lot of unknowns."

Scientists are racing to find out more about 2019-nCoV, and our understanding of the virus and the threat it poses may change as new information becomes available.

Based on what we know so far, here's how it compares with the flu.

Symptoms and severity Both seasonal flu viruses (which include influenza A and influenza B viruses) and 2019-nCoV are contagious viruses that cause respiratory illness.

Typical flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat,

muscle aches, headaches, runny or stuffy nose, fatigue and, sometimes, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC. Flu symptoms often come on suddenly. Most people who get the flu will recover in less than two weeks. But in some people, the flu causes complications, including pneumonia. So far this flu season, about 1% of people in the United States have developed symptoms severe enough to be hospitalized, which is similar to the rate last season, according to data from the CDC.

With 2019-nCoV, doctors are still trying to understand the full picture of disease symptoms and severity. In a recent study of about 100 people with the virus, published Jan. 30 in the journal The Lancet, the most common symptoms were fever, cough and shortness of breath. Only about 5% of patients in that study reported sore throat and runny nose, and only 1-2% reported diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Of the more than 20,000 cases reported in China so far, about 14% have been classified as severe, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) posted Tuesday (Feb. 4).

It's important to note that, because respiratory viruses cause similar symptoms, it can be difficult to distinguish different respiratory viruses based on symptoms alone, according to WHO. Death rate

So far this flu season, about 0.05% of people who caught the flu have died from the virus in the U.S., according to CDC data.

The death rate for 2019-nCoV is still unclear, but it appears to be higher than that of the flu. Throughout the outbreak, the death rate for 2019-nCoV has been about 2%. Still, officials note that in the beginning of an outbreak, the initial cases that are identified "skew to the severe," which may make the mortality rate seem higher than it is, Alex Azar, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Homeland Security (HHS), said during a news briefing on Jan. 28. The mortality rate may drop as more mild cases are identified, Azar said.

Virus transmission

The measure scientists use to determine how easily a virus spreads is known as the "basic reproduction number," or R0 (pronounced R-nought). This is an estimate of the average number of people who catch the virus from a single infected person, Live science previously reported. The flu has an R0 value of about 1.3, according to The New York Times.

Researchers are still working to determine the R0 for 2019nCoV. A study published Jan. 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) estimated an R0 value for the new coronavirus to be 2.2, meaning each infected person has been spreading the virus to an average of 2.2 people.

It's important to note that R0 is not necessarily a constant number. Estimates can vary by location, depending on such factors as how often people come into contact with each other and the efforts taken to reduce viral spread, Live Science previously reported.

Risk of infection

The CDC estimates that, on average, about 8% of the U.S. population gets sick with the flu each season.

There are currently only 11 cases of 2019-nCoV in the U.S. Still, newly emerged viruses like 2019-nCoV are always of public health concern, according to the CDC. It's unclear how the situation with this virus in the U.S. will unfold, the agency said. Some people, such as health care workers, are at increased risk for exposure to 2019-nCoV. But for the general American public, the immediate health risk from the virus is low at this time.

Pandemics

It's important to note that seasonal flu, which causes outbreaks every year, should not be confused with pandemic flu, or a global outbreak of a new flu virus that is very different from the strains that typically circulate. This happened in 2009 with the swine flu pandemic, which is estimated to have killed between 151,000 and 575,000 people worldwide, according to the CDC. There is no flu pandemic happening currently.

The 2019-nCoV outbreak has not yet been declared a pandemic, as the majority of cases have occurred in China. But on Jan. 30, the WHO declared the 2019-nCoV outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern." The declaration was primarily due to concern that the virus could spread to countries with weaker health systems.

Prevention

Unlike seasonal flu, for which there is a vaccine to protect against infection, there is no vaccine for 2019-nCoV. But researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health are in the early stages of developing one. Officials plan to launch a phase 1 clinical trial of a potential vaccine for 2019-nCoV within the next three months.

In general, the CDC recommends the following to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, which include both coronaviruses and flu viruses: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; avoid close contact with people who are sick; stay home when you are sick; and clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Live Science, February 5, 2020

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Why the New Coronavirus (Mostly) Spares Children Apoorva Mandavilli The new coronavirus has infected more than 24,000 people, and at least 490 have died. But relatively few children appear to have developed severe symptoms so far, according to the available data.

“The median age of patients is between 49 and 56 years,” according to a report published on Wednesday in JAMA. “Cases in children have been rare.”

So why aren’t more children getting sick?

“My strong, educated guess is that younger people are getting infected, but they get the relatively milder disease,” said Dr. Malik Peiris, chief of virology at the University of Hong Kong, who has developed a diagnostic test for the new coronavirus.

Scientists may not be seeing more infected children because “we don’t have data on the milder cases,” he said.

“If this coronavirus spreads worldwide, and it spreads as widely as the seasonal flu does, probably we’ll see more,” he added.

In one published case, a 10-year-old traveled to Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, with his family. Upon returning to Shenzhen, the other infected family members, ranging in age from 36 to 66, developed fever, sore throat, diarrhea and pneumonia.

The child, too, had signs of viral pneumonia in the lungs, doctors found — but no outward symptoms.

Some scientists suspect that this is typical of coronavirus infection in children.

“It’s certainly true that children can be either asymptomatically infected or have very mild infection,” said Dr. Raina MacIntyre, an epidemiologist at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, who has been studying the spread of the new coronavirus.

In many ways, this pattern parallels that seen during outbreaks of SARS and MERS, also coronaviruses. The MERS epidemics in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and in South Korea in 2015 together claimed more than 800 lives.

Most children who were infected never developed symptoms.

No children died during the SARS epidemic in 2003, and the majority of the 800 deaths in the outbreak were in people over age 45, with men more at risk.

Among the more than 8,000 cases of SARS, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were able to identify 135 infected children in published reports.

Children under age 12 were much less likely to be admitted to a hospital or to need oxygen or other treatment, the researchers found.

Children over age 12 had symptoms much like those of adults.

“We don’t fully understand the reason for this age-related increase of severity,” Dr. Peiris said. “But we see that now — and with SARS, you could see that much more clearly.”

It’s not unusual for viruses to trigger only mild infections in children and much more severe illnesses in adults. Chickenpox, for example, can be largely inconsequential in children, yet catastrophic in adults.

Influenza is unusual in that it has evolved with humans over thousands of years and infections millions worldwide each year. Still, even though thousands of young children end up in the hospital each year with influenza, just a small percentage of them die, Dr. Peiris noted.

Adults may be more susceptible to infections because they are more likely to have other diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease, that weaken their ability to stave off infections.

The body’s innate immunity, which is critical for fighting viruses, also deteriorates with age, and particularly after middle age.

“Something happens at age 50,” Dr. MacIntyre said. “It declines, and it declines exponentially, which is why for most infections we see the highest incidence in the elderly.”

A key question about the new coronavirus is whether children who are infected and asymptomatic are able to pass the virus to others.

“We know that young people in general — not just kids, but young adults and teenagers — have the most intense contact in society,” Dr. MacIntyre said. Young people who don’t realize they are sick may contribute to the epidemic’s momentum, she said.

To understand the epidemic fully, she and other scientists said they need detailed data: when people were first exposed to the virus, when they first began to show symptoms, how many and which people have mild symptoms versus

US House panel holds hearing on the coronavirus outbreak William Feuer

The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs is holding a hearing Wednesday on the outbreak of the new coronavirus, which has now infected more than 24,300 people in over two dozen countries and killed at least 490 people, mostly in China.

Witnesses include senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Health Security Jennifer Nuzzo, senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation Jennifer Bouey and former White House Ebola response coordinator Ron Klain.

Congressman Ami Bera, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the

Pacific, and Nonproliferation, announced the hearing last week.

“While the threat of the coronavirus is relatively low in the United States at this time, we must be vigilant and prepared,” Bera, D-CA, said in a statement. “I look forward to hearing from our expert witnesses on ways in which we can plan and respond to this virus. Congress needs to ensure the administration has the tools it needs to respond to and limit the outbreak.”

The U.S. government has implemented travel restrictions and issued federal quarantine orders in response to the outbreak for the first time in about 50 years, health officials said last week. Flights from

mainland China are being funneled through 11 U.S. airports, officials said, where all passengers are being screened for symptoms. Travelers from Hubei province are being quarantined for 14 days.

CNBC News, February 5, 2020

more severe disease.

With detailed data, some observations, such as the higher risk in men, may change. Still, Dr. Mark Denison, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, said he does not expect to see a sudden uptick in infected children.

“It’s hard for me to imagine that there’s such a degree of underreporting of clinical illness in children that we’re only hearing about two or three cases,” he said.

“I think it means that there are many, many less children” who are infected in China, he said, “and that they’re not as much at risk.”

New York Times, February 5, 2020 At play in a condominium complex in Beijing last month. Young children do not seem as affected by the new coronavirus, experts say.

New York Times, February 5, 2020

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Global Solidarity, Collaboration and Urgent Action Needed to Defeat the New Coronavirus Outbreak DR. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus DR. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the Director-General of the World Health Organization) Once in a very rare while, a single, serious challenge consumes the attention of the entire world.

We are living through one such period today as countries and communities come together to end the new coronavirus outbreak.

This virus, provisionally known as the “2019-novel coronavirus,” has, as of 3 February 2020, spread to 24 countries, with over 17,000 people being infected to date, 99% of them in China.

The limited numbers of cases elsewhere around the world – just 153 so far – show that efforts to contain the virus in China are curbing its global spread, alongside the detection and clinical care measures that have been rapidly put into motion in other countries.

I understand the worry many people around the world feel today. We have been introduced to a new virus that is causing a wide range of symptoms in those infected. One in five of all infected people are suffering severe reactions, including pneumonia and respiratory failure.

Fortunately, for most people the effects have been mild.

ter in China; in other affected countries to prevent human-to-human transmission; and in fragile states with weak health systems to prepare them to cope effectively if and when the disease reaches them.

Targeting the epicentre China, its people and economy, are bearing the brunt of the new coronavirus. But the country is targeting the hot spots to fight it domestically and to limit its external spread. We will help China to sustain and step up these efforts.

Tens of thousands of health workers have been working day and night across China, providing care in the most trying of times.

They are striving to save lives, reduce disease spread and give the rest of the world the precious time needed to prepare and respond.

Chinese scientists isolated the virus and shared its genome sequencing with WHO and researchers worldwide, which quickened research and development for a possible vaccine.

At China’s invitation, WHO will deploy a mission composed of multidisciplinary experts under the framework of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network to work side-by-side with a group of Chinese experts.

When a new virus emerges, there are always many uncertainties about how it spreads, the disease it causes and the impact it will have.

President Xi Jinping, with whom I met with in Beijing on 28 January, has personally taken charge of the outbreak response in China.

The World Health Organization is working around the clock with affected countries and a global network of partners to address these unknowns.

Preventing onward spread While this new health emergency bears the hallmarks of past outbreaks, the truth is the world today is a very different place than it was during 2002 and 2003, when countries were gripped by the outbreak of SARS.

We are gathering knowledge daily from China and other countries with confirmed cases. We know that the incubation period of the virus is 1-14 days, based on current information, and that underlying conditions such as diabetes and hypertension make people who have contracted the new coronavirus more susceptible to severe disease. New information is also helping us understand which treatments could be beneficial to infected patients and how best to protect health care workers and those at risk of infection.

We are also working to counter the large amounts of misinformation and rumor rapidly spreading via social media channels.

But this unprecedented outbreak can be defeated if we act now. To do so will require an unprecedented response, driven by global solidarity and collaboration and built on evidence-based action.

WHO is working with all countries, and many health partners, to lead this effort. We are focusing our energies on three fronts: at its epicen-

The rapid and robust responses launched by many governments have played a key part in the relatively low number of people contracting the virus outside of China.

All nations have been developing epidemic and pandemic influenza plans, geared towards the emergence of a novel respiratory pathogen. This preparedness is paying off.

This has helped ensure to date that there has been only a limited number of human-to-human transmissions of the new coronavirus in six countries outside China – France, Japan, Germany, Thailand, Viet Nam and the United States.

WHO is in constant contact with governments, health partners and an array of public and private sector organizations who can play a role in containing the outbreak. The open exchange of information between WHO, China and other countries is helping prime health systems with their immediate response.

We are working with global supply and logistics firms to prioritize supplies to those in most need, including personal protective equipment, diagnostics and essential medicines for first line responders and patients.

Tech giants including Google, Facebook, Twitter, Tencent and TikTok are also joining in to help share accurate advice and defeat potentially dangerous misinformation.

And WHO has mobilized a network of partners, through the R&D Blueprint for Epidemics, to identify, prioritize and accelerate the development of diagnostics, vaccines and therapies needed to combat the virus in the long term.

The work of developing diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines did not start in December 2019 when this latest coronavirus outbreak was first reported. It began years ago with the development of therapeutics and vaccines for another coronavirus, the Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Combined with the genome sequencing of the virus we are battling today, these past efforts have put the world on a fast track to developing the tools needed to counter this new threat.

While protecting people from exposure to the current outbreak is a priority, the world will also need, in the longer term, to develop new treatments to save more lives and vaccines to protect populations at large.

From Singapore, where authorities are urging citizens not to spread rumors, to San Diego where surveillance systems are working well to detect suspect cases, authorities are prepared and governments have responded quickly and decisively to the outbreak. The United Kingdom government’s sentiment says it all: “we can all play our part.”

Protecting fragile settings Emergency preparedness is central to WHO’s mission, as well as building up health system capacities in all countries, particularly in settings with large numbers of vulnerable people. While the coronavirus has the potential to threaten all countries, more developed nations are better prepared to contain the virus if and when it surfaces.

the most basic needs to detect and prevent novel pathogens, such as surveillance systems, diagnostic capacities and infection, prevention and control. We do so at our collective peril.

We, as a global community, are at our best when we face adversity and uncertainly together, looking to protect those who are most vulnerable as our top priority. We all have vulnerable populations, some more than others, and we must protect them.

It was because of the outbreak’s potential to spread to fragile settings that on 30 January I declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

My decision was based on recommendations from the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, which convened to consider the outbreak’s latest data and trends.

Based on this advice, I called for action on seven key areas.

These included to not restrict travel or trade based on current information; increase international support for fragile settings; accelerate development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics; intensify action to combat rumors and misinformation; review and strengthen national health emergency preparedness plans to counter the outbreak; share data, knowledge and experience with WHO and the world; and base efforts to defeat the outbreak on a spirt of solidarity and collaboration.

I appreciate global anxieties and concerns are understandably high.

People want to know if they will be safe, if the outbreak can be contained, and WHO and the international community can deliver the responses needed.

To succeed, global solidarity and commitment to collaborate for the protection everyone’s health will be essential.

Time, February 4, 2020

Fragile states and settings don’t share the same health security. It is such settings that are most susceptible to the introduction of the 2019-novel coronavirus.

What this outbreak makes clear is that no longer can we allow hospitals, disease surveillance networks and health workforces in vulnerable countries to be ill-equipped to cope with health emergencies. Most lack

How to Handle Air Travel During the Coronavirus Outbreak Scott Mccartney The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs is holding a hearing Wednesday on the outbreak of the new coronavirus, which has now infected more than 24,300 people in over two dozen countries and killed at least 490 people, mostly in China.

Witnesses include senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Health Security Jennifer Nuzzo, senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation Jennifer Bouey and former White House Ebola response coordinator Ron Klain.

Congressman Ami Bera, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, announced the hearing last week.

“While the threat of the coronavirus is relatively low in the United States at this time, we must be vigilant and prepared,” Bera, D-CA, said in a statement. “I look forward to hearing from our expert witnesses on ways in which we can plan and respond to this virus. Congress needs to ensure the administration has the tools it needs to respond to and limit the outbreak.”

The U.S. government has implemented travel restrictions and issued federal quarantine orders in response to the outbreak for the first time in about 50 years, health officials said last week. Flights from mainland China are being funneled through 11 U.S. airports, officials said, where all passengers are being screened for symptoms. Travelers from Hubei province are being quarantined for 14 days.

North American Economic Herald

February 6, 2020

Coronavirus outbreak: In midst of panic, can we still show empathy?

Ming Fang The current outbreak of Coronavirus in China has become a global concern. Since the virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, last month, more than 27,000 people have tested positive for it in at least 18 countries, and more than 550 have died. There are at least 11 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has confirmed that person-to-person transmission has occurred. This is of course a public health crisis, but the repercussions of the crisis could go beyond physical. Here we share content from a TIME article written by Melissa Chan with concerns of an American doctor who once contracted Ebola, a virus outbreak in 2014, which killed more than 11,000 people in Africa.

Dr. Craig Spencer was the first person in New York City in fall 2014 to be diagnosed with Ebola, after he worked as a volunteer helping patients in the deadly disease stricken West African country of Guinea. Panic swept through the giant metropolis. As he was being treated and his then-fiancée was quarantined in their apartment, the public vilified him, picking apart his previous destinations and activities, including riding the subway and going bowling, unfairly blaming him for transmitting the virus.

During the first few days of his hospitalization, Spencer was widely criticized as “selfish” and a “fraud” for walking amongst members of the public after coming back from West Africa—even though people are not contagious until they develop symptoms, and Spencer had been monitoring his temperature, following federal protocol. Spencer was treated for about three weeks and released from Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City in November 2014. Dr. Spencer now worries that such public vilification repeats itself with Coronavirus, which will only worsen the crisis.

When the U.S government announced last week that it would temporarily deny U.S. entry to any foreign national who has been in China and “poses a risk” of trans-

mitting the virus, Spencer had flashbacks of the Ebola outbreak.

“For me, it brings up these reminders and memories of what we were doing to people, not only in the U.S. but in West Africa,” says Spencer, 38, the director of global health in emergency medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. “The way we talked about and treated people during the Ebola outbreak, how we maligned anyone from Africa.” With the current outbreak of Coronavirus originated in China, Spencer—Who studies in China, where he met his wife—fears racism and xenophobia toward the Chinese population will grow, making matters worse if they become less likely to seek care in an attempt to avoid public disdain and quarantine.

Stringent quarantine measures have been imposed in many cities in China now. When reflecting his own experience being quarantined, Dr. Spencer admitted that it caused him to feel depressed for the first time. “It’s impossible to explain kind of the isolation and the psychological impact of being separated from humans and human contact for an extended period of time,” says Spencer. “It really leaves you helpless.”

Many people in China now with symptoms of the disease have been quarantined from their families. The psychological impact and the trauma this experience brings to people may take years to recover from.

While collective efforts are made across the globe to tackle and prevent the spread of the disease, Dr. Spencer reminds us, “It’s important to never forget the people who are at the epicenter of these outbreaks, the impact it has on their families and their culture. …These are things that are almost never considered.

We very frequently overlook the personal stories of people in the middle of our panic.”

The death toll of the disease is still climbing, and confirmed cases are still mounting. Behind each number that adds up to the death toll is a lost beloved one, a broken family, and a heart-wrenching story of desperation and separation. Thousands

of people who are trapped in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, are struggling through each day in this city clearly beleaguered by confusion, anxiety, frustration and anger. But no one knows for sure when this surreal reality will end.

Soon. Let’s hope

About the Author Ming Fang, a native of Wuhan residing in Miami now, contributes to this article.

The photo was taken when she revisited her alma mater, Wuhan University, in 2017.

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Ms. Jane Zuo, Chief Editor (Chinese Version) Dr. Wenyuan Wu, Chief Editor Mr. Raphael Alegbeleye, Graphic Designer Ms. Ning Qin, Web Administrator And Special Thanks to Our Volunteers:

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