Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Climb to 9826 Globally – 213 Deaths in China

WHO Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Report 11

• The Emergency Committee on the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) was reconvened on January 30. WHO declared the outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern. The Emergency Committee has provided advice to WHO, to the People’s Republic of China, to all countries, and to the global community, on measures to control this outbreak. The Committee believes that it is still possible to interrupt virus spread, provided that countries put in place strong measures to detect disease early, isolate and treat cases, trace contacts, and promote social distancing measures commensurate with the risk. More details can be found here and in Annex to this situation report.
• Today, the first two confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease were reported in Italy; both had travel history to Wuhan City.
• WHO’s Risk Communication Team has launched a new information platform called WHO Information Network for Epidemics (EPI-WIN). EPI-WIN will use a series of amplifiers to share tailored information for specific target groups. EPI-WIN began this week to establish connections to health care and travel and tourism sectors and will work with food and agriculture and business/employer sectors next week.

Risk Assessment

China: Very High

Regional Level: High

Global Level: High

Coronavirus Situation in Numbers

Globally

• • 9826 confirmed

China

• • 9720 confirmed
  • 15238 suspected
  • 1527 severe
  • 213 deaths

Outside of China

• • 106 confirmed
  • 19 countries

Countries, territories or areas with reported confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV, January 31, 2020

[Note: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also lists United Kingdom, Russia, and Sweden as locations with confirmed 2019-nCoV cases as of today, January 31, 2020. Additionally, they list Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan separately, where the World Health Organization combines those into the China numbers.]

Recommendations and Advice

During previous outbreaks due to other coronaviruses (Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), human-to-human transmission occurred through droplets, contact, and fomites, suggesting that the transmission mode of the 2019-nCoV can be similar. The basic principles to reduce the general risk of transmission of acute respiratory infections include the following:

• Avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections.
• Frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment.
• Avoiding unprotected contact with farm or wild animals.
• People with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands).
• Within healthcare facilities, enhance standard infection prevention and control practices in hospitals, especially in emergency departments.

WHO does not recommend any specific health measures for travelers. In case of symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness either during or after travel, travelers are encouraged to seek medical attention and share their travel history with their healthcare provider.