Global Health

Health & Safety

Officials Report Huge Jump In Coronavirus Cases In 1 Chinese Province

8:53am February 13, 2020

by Richard Harris

Health officials say the cases increased in China's Hubei province. That comes as scientists there have changed the definition of who has the disease know as COVID-19.

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A woman with a teddy bear waves to another passenger as they undergo quarantine on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan. Many passengers are using chat groups and social media to share information with each other.

In Coronavirus Quarantine, Diamond Princess Passengers Form Unique Online Community

10:49pm February 12, 2020

by Bill Chappell

The postings on Facebook, email and WhatsApp are mainly "just words of encouragement and a friendly ear." But they also share food reviews and news.

The city of Wuhan, epicenter of the current coronavirus outbreak.

Can Coronavirus Be Crushed By Warmer Weather?

6:05pm February 12, 2020

by Allison Aubrey

Many respiratory illnesses, such as colds and flus, peak in winter, then die down with warmer weather. Some experts wonder if COVID-19 will follow a similar pattern.

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Health & Safety

World Health Organization Provides Update On COVID-19

4:20pm February 12, 2020

by Richard Harris

The World Health Organization reports on the results of a two-day deep dive into what's known about the new coronavirus outbreak.

Health & Safety

Journalist Recounts Nearly A Month Under Coronavirus Quarantine

4:20pm February 12, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with the Wall Street Journal's Stephanie Yang about her time in coronavirus quarantine — first in China for 11 days, then at U.S. military bases for another 14 days.

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Emergency workers in protective clothing exit the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship where it was being resupplied Monday off Yokohama, Japan.

Coronavirus Casts A Pall Over Cruise Industry At Height Of Booking Season

3:18pm February 12, 2020

by Yuki Noguchi

Tales of life on a ship quarantined in Japan amid a coronavirus outbreak are hurting bookings for the growing cruise line industry. But the industry has shaken off worse crises, an analyst says.

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Paul McKay, a molecular immunologist at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London, checks a dish of bacteria containing genetic material from the new coronavirus. He and his team are testing a candidate vaccine.

Timetable For A Vaccine Against The New Coronavirus? Maybe This Fall

1:46pm February 12, 2020

by Joe Palca

Recent advances in biotech make scientists optimistic that they might have a vaccine that has passed basic tests of human safety and efficacy ready to go to clinics as soon as this fall.

Medical workers in protective suits tend to coronavirus patients at the intensive care unit of a hospital in Wuhan, China.

There's No Specific Drug That Kills Coronavirus. But Doctors Have Ways To Treat It

6:45pm February 11, 2020

by Richard Harris

They're testing some drugs developed for other diseases. And they're offering supportive care — doing whatever's possible to keep vital organ systems functioning.

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Quarantine Lifted For First Group Of Americans Evacuated From China

4:24pm February 11, 2020

by Patti Neighmond

Coronavirus-related quarantine is lifted at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, Calif. Here's what happens next for those who were evacuated to the U.S. and then quarantined.

Employees of the Egyptian Quarantine Authority prepare to scan the body temperature of incoming travelers at Cairo International Airport.

Health & Safety

New Coronavirus Disease Officially Named COVID-19 By The World Health Organization

12:17pm February 11, 2020

The disease first identified in China in late 2019 was previously called "2019-nCoV."