Science
Science
4 years ago

New coronavirus threat galvanizes scientists

Jon Cohen
Barely 1 month after Chinese health authorities reported the first cases of a mysterious new pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, the world may be on the cusp of a new pandemic. The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, dubbed 2019-nCoV for now, has shot up to more than 4500, most of them in mainland China but more than 80 in 17 other countries and territories. In an unprecedented move, China has effectively quarantined 35 million people in Wuhan and several other cities in a desperate attempt to contain spread of the virus. But as the case numbers keep soaring, the realization has set in that it may be too late to have much impact. The virus's explosive spread has been met by an unprecedented, mad rush by scientists to uncover its origins, find treatments that can help infected people, and develop vaccines that, if indeed the world is heading for a new pandemic, can potentially spare millions of lives.

Publisher URL: http://science.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/367/6477/492

DOI: 10.1126/science.367.6477.492

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