# Is anyone else concerned with this new virus in China that is becoming a bigger problem every day? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 23, 2020, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841 "2020-01-23T12:42:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![pendgwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@pendgwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pendgwen)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/201 "2020-01-28T19:07:15Z")
Where I work we had our first inappropriate transfer due to overreaction by the initial provider. The patient had been traveling in Asia and presented with respiratory symptoms. They unfortunately saw an outside provider whose grasp of geography is so weak that they’re apparently unaware that there are countries in Asia besides China. So they transferred the patient to us for further evaluation. The doc who saw them at our institution got all gowned up in isolation equipment to interview the patient - and discovered that they had been nowhere near the danger area. Patient has a cold, no further testing necessary, recommend standard symptomatic management. Sigh. I anticipate this will not be the only such patient. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/202 "2020-01-28T19:16:59Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > This last seems to be true. I think it was the Irish teacher that was interviewed by Channel 4 who said that he had swimming goggles because it can be communicated through the eyes. IIRC, there was a doctor who got infected while treating people and they determined that he contracted the infection through his eyes because they were the only thing not protected. The “through his eyes” doesn’t mean that’s the primary way the disease is transmitted. It’s likely through transfer to any mucous membrane. I seem to remember a study that showed people touch their own faces an average of 24 times an hour and about 4 of those touches are around the eyes. However, around half the touches are to mucosal areas. In the cited case above, the only exposed mucosal area was the eyes. Found it- here’s a summary of the [study](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25637115) ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/203 "2020-01-28T19:20:58Z")
ETA: Geez, how many times am I going to get ninja’d? Yep the eyes are a very common route for many respiratory infections, maybe even higher risk than the mouth. People constantly rub their eyes and tear ducts drain into the nasal passage. > [@Jet Jaguar](#): > > They spent all day Sunday driving around and buying up boxes of dust masks and swimming goggles. The dust masks (which had to have some specific kind of rating) sound like they are getting hard to find even here in the US. Yes masks are already being rationed here (not to alarm your family even more; it’s just when a population of 1.3 billion is being told to wear masks to go outside, that’s a pretty big demand. So pharmacies are limiting 5 masks per customer per day). Regarding the dust masks, did the rating include blocking pathogens / fluids? Because even a top-notch $30 professional dust or pollution mask may not do this because it’s not their usual function. Cheapo surgical masks may give better protection in many cases. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/204 "2020-01-28T19:32:00Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Regarding the dust masks, did the rating include blocking pathogens / fluids? Nope, not at all. They’re N95 dust masks, which block fine dust but not something as small as a virus. But my in-laws are frightened beyond the point of reason. They say their friends told them to get these, and they wouldn’t lie to them so it must be true. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/205 "2020-01-28T20:03:18Z")
FWIW you’re not needing to filter so small as a virus. You just need to filter the droplets that contain the viruses. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/206 "2020-01-28T22:07:41Z")
Australian scientists at Melbourne’s Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity on Tuesday became the [world’s first scientific lab outside of China to recreate the virus](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-29/wuhan-coronavirus-created-in-australian-lab-outside-of-china/11906390). > [@](#): > > Dr Catton, who is also the pathologist supervising at The Doherty Institute, said Australian scientific facilities were well prepared to deal with outbreaks like the coronavirus. > > “This virus qualifies as a three out of four, so it’s a level three virus and that’s based off our understanding of SARS (sudden acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome), which are its close cousins,” Dr Catton said. > > “It’s dangerous, it does kill some people, but it hasn’t got the lethality that viruses like Ebola do.” > > But he said early diagnosis of a disease outbreak like the coronavirus was important because it gave health authorities around the world a better chance of containing its spread or, at the least, its severity. > > … > At this stage, coronavirus does not have a death rate as high as SARS. > > “SARS we know had a death rate — a mortality rate — of about 10 per cent. This [coronavirus] appears to be 3 per cent; my personal opinion is it will turn out to be lower than that,” Dr Catton said. > > Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said in Australia there has been no known human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus. > > “There is no cause for concern in the Australian public, there is no human to human transmission of this virus,” he said. > > “It’s important to note because we had some media [ask] about masks today; there is no need for the Australian public to wear masks.” > > Those who have the illness are being kept in isolation. > > All Australian-based patients are in stable conditions. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/207 "2020-01-28T22:14:12Z")
**penultima thule** , a quote from your post: > [@](#): > > Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said in Australia there has been no known human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus. > > “There is no cause for concern in the Australian public, there is no human to human transmission of this virus,” he said. Does anyone know what that means? How are thousands getting sick if there is no human to human transmission? I know that it probably jumped from another species, but it didn’t jump to thousands of people at once? ---
**Author:** ![FastDan1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fastdan1/32/427_2.png) [@FastDan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FastDan1)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/208 "2020-01-28T22:28:44Z")
It sounds like what he means is that there’s been no human to human transmission in Australia. The current cases were contracted in China? ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/209 "2020-01-28T22:54:14Z")
> [@FastDan1](#): > > It sounds like what he means is that there’s been no human to human transmission in Australia. The current cases were contracted in China? I agree. In Germany, there has apparently been human-to-human transmission within the country. In Australia, no human-to-human transmission within the country has been found to have occurred. For those who are still panicky, my advice (IANAD) is: Be/get vaccinated for the flu (it won’t protect you from this virus, but if you are already infected by the flu, your immune system will be less able to fight this virus) Get 7-9 hours of sleep each day Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables Stay well hydrated Wash your hands often throughout the day TLDR- Cultivate a healthy, robust immune system If you are already sick or have a compromised immune system, then some of the other precautions (minimal exposure to other people, wearing gloves, a mask, and glasses to prevent the all to human habit of touching everything around us and then shoving our fingers into our eyes or mouth) are probably warranted. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/210 "2020-01-28T23:57:01Z")
I just heard on the news that an orchestra from Shanghai (which is hundreds of miles from Wuhan) is scheduled to perform at a school in my region, and authorities are telling people, primarily assuring parents and children, that there is nothing to worry about WRT this. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/211 "2020-01-29T00:17:59Z")
Per **blue infinity** ’s excellent source; cases 5578 deaths 131 Still seems contained. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/212 "2020-01-29T00:31:51Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I just heard on the news that an orchestra from Shanghai (which is hundreds of miles from Wuhan) is scheduled to perform at a school in my region, and authorities are telling people, primarily assuring parents and children, that there is nothing to worry about WRT this. With high speed rail, “hundreds of miles” is meaningless - the two cities might as well be next door. But with that being said, the numbers still aren’t high enough to worry me. I have to assume exponentially higher numbers of people die from the flu every week. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/213 "2020-01-29T00:40:40Z")
> [@Jet\_Jaguar](#): > > - The infection is absorbed through the eyes. This one is no duh. One of the lessons learned from SARS (and from the common cold for that matter), is that one common person to person contact is to shake hands, touch an elevator button, grab a handrail, etc, and THEN rub your nose or eyes. Hand sanitizers and washing your hands frequently can cut down on even catching the common cold. From my SARS experience, I never touch an elevator button with my finger. Usually a knuckle on my left hand. During the SARS outbreak, most people started pressing elevator buttons with their keys. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/214 "2020-01-29T00:41:56Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Australian scientists at Melbourne’s Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity on Tuesday became the [world’s first scientific lab outside of China to recreate the virus](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-29/wuhan-coronavirus-created-in-australian-lab-outside-of-china/11906390). Go them! (same institute the friend I was referencing upthread works for. reflected glory ftw ;)) ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/215 "2020-01-29T00:45:10Z")
Hong Kong has partially shut it’s border with China. HK is stopping the “commuter” transportation of subways, trains and high speed ferries. Sucks if you live in Shenzhen and work in HK. It will stop the thousands of people that cross the border each day to shop in HK, carry the goods back across the border for resell. There are loads of folks that do this all day long to buy things at the border stops that are either cheaper or guaranteed to be genuine (like baby formula owing to a past scandal). Person to person anecdotally seems to be generally in cases of prolonged contact (within the family members living together, a tour bus driver, etc). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/216 "2020-01-29T00:46:59Z")
Welp, [it’s the end times](https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/01/28/rick-wiles-god-has-sent-the-coronavirus-to-purge-a-lot-of-sin-off-this-planet/). ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/217 "2020-01-29T00:56:42Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Welp, [it’s the end times](https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/01/28/rick-wiles-god-has-sent-the-coronavirus-to-purge-a-lot-of-sin-off-this-planet/). :smack: … and youse guys are worried about fundamentalist Islam? ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/218 "2020-01-29T02:33:48Z")
BTW, here’s a piece in the NY Times by a doctor who lived in China with her family during SARS. [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/opinion/coronavirus-prevention-tips.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/opinion/coronavirus-prevention-tips.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage) Long story short, wash your hands frequently. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/219 "2020-01-29T07:27:59Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Welp, [it’s the end times](https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/01/28/rick-wiles-god-has-sent-the-coronavirus-to-purge-a-lot-of-sin-off-this-planet/). I thought the HIV virus was supposed to do that. What, that didn’t work? Now God is trying again? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841/220 "2020-01-29T10:02:18Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > Per **blue infinity** ’s excellent source; > > cases 5578 > deaths 131 > > Still seems contained. Also a death rate of 2.3% rather than 3% - contrary to fears of an increase, this would be consistent with more of the less serious infections being found. Of course that could change, and no doubt those who have severe illness but recover are miserable and I don’t want to trivialize their suffering, but longer that rate stays the low the more encouraged I am. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-concerned-with-this-new-virus-in-china-that-is-becoming-a-bigger-problem-every-day/846841.md?page=12)