Global Health

Millions of Beijing residents are expected to return to the capital city after going away for the Lunar New Year. Above: A traveler at Beijing's West Railway Station on Sunday.

Beijing Braces For Coronavirus Cases As Lunar Holiday Ends

8:41pm February 06, 2020

On Monday, the holiday — which was extended to help slow the coronavirus outbreak — comes to an end in the capital. The city is preparing for a potential increase in infections.

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An interior view of the Hongshan Gymnasium, a venue converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients infected with the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan, China, on Wednesday.

Hong Kong Mandates Quarantine For Mainland Arrivals; Coronavirus Cases Surpass 31,000

8:37pm February 06, 2020

Hong Kong authorities say that beginning Saturday they are mandating that anyone entering the city from mainland China "self-quarantine" for the 14-day incubation period of the virus.

The New Coronavirus Is Affecting Chinese Factories — And The Global Supply Chain

5:00pm February 06, 2020

Many Chinese factories are hoping to reopen next week, but it's not clear they'll have the workers they need amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. That could have effects for U.S. manufacturers.

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Health & Safety

What It's Like To Be Evacuated From China — And Quarantined Over Coronavirus Fears

4:32pm February 06, 2020

by Rob Stein

What's it like to be among the hundreds of people being quarantined at military bases around the United States after being evacuated from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China?

Chinese Doctor Who Sounded Early Warning About Coronavirus Dies After Contracting It

4:32pm February 06, 2020

by Nurith Aizenman

A hospital in China says a doctor who was reprimanded by authorities for sounding an early warning about the coronavirus has died from the illness. Dr. Li Wenliang was a 34-year-old opthalmologist.

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The civet (above), a mammal in the mongoose family, was a carrier of another coronavirus — SARS. But it turned out in that instance that bats were the original source of the virus.

New Coronavirus 'Won't Be The Last' Outbreak To Move From Animal To Human

9:05pm February 05, 2020

by Dave Davies

Science writer David Quammen says the new coronavirus is the latest example of the way pathogens are migrating from animals to humans with increasing frequency — and sometimes deadly consequences.

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A delivery person wears a protective mask and suit as he delivers packages by bicycle on Saturday in Wuhan, China.

Does The New Coronavirus Spread Silently?

7:30pm February 05, 2020

by Richard Harris

Scientists are trying to figure out how often people without symptoms can transmit the novel coronavirus. If it happens a lot, that could complicate the response to the outbreak.

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A notice advising all staff and visitors to wear protective masks stands outside the closed Ocean Park in Hong Kong on Monday.

Coronavirus Puts A Crimp On The Chinese Tourism Industry

7:25pm February 05, 2020

by Jackie Northam

Fear of the respiratory virus, which has infected more than 28,000 people in over two dozen countries, has brought the normally lucrative business to a screeching halt.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship sits anchored off the coast of Japan. At least 10 people on the ship have been diagnosed with coronavirus, and more than 3,000 of their fellow passengers remain in quarantine, according to Japan's health minister.

U.S. Evacuees Make It Stateside As Coronavirus Strands Cruises In Asian Waters

7:23pm February 05, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

Approximately 350 passengers landed Wednesday in California, where they will be quarantined after leaving China. Worldwide, the number of confirmed cases of the respiratory virus continues to rise.

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, medical workers in protective suits help transfer the first group of patients into the newly completed Huoshenshan temporary field hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province.

Health & Safety

In Quarantined Wuhan, Hospital Beds For Coronavirus Patients Are Scarce

7:20pm February 05, 2020

Admission to a hospital requires a diagnosis of coronavirus. But screening kits are in short supply and hospitals are short of beds.