Since the mysterious coronavirus known as 2019-nCoV was first reported on Dec. 31, 2019 to the World Health Organization (WHO), health officials have confirmed 25 deaths and at least 835 cases. The virus, which has been linked to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), comes amidst some of the busiest weeks of travel leading up to the Lunar New Year.

On Jan. 23, Chinese health officials reported that the coronavirus could spread via respiratory transmission. In an attempt to prevent the virus from spreading further, Chinese authorities have enacted travel restrictions and placed the neighboring cities of Huanggang, Ezhou, Chibi, Zhijiang, and Wuhan (thought to be ground zero) in quarantine.

These restrictions have been deemed necessary, in contrast to the response Chinese government officials made in 2002-2003 during the SARS epidemic, which claimed the lives of nearly 800 people. A report on Wednesday, Jan. 22, in the Journal of Medical Virology “suggests snakes were the most probable wildlife animal reservoir for 2019-nCoV,” says Cnet. Even so, the virus’s natural “reservoir” is no clearer, claims Peter Daszak, president of nonprofit EcoHealth, who suggests that the closest coronavirus relatives are found in bats.

While the emergency committee, reconvened by WHO on Jan. 23, decided it was too early to declare a global emergency, officials are still on high alert what with confirmed cases in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, the U.S., and Singapore. A study, published by the Imperial College London on Jan. 17, estimates the total number of cases at 1,700. Cnet added this particular study, led by Neil Ferguson, “calculated how far the virus is likely to spread based on incubation period and the amount of travel in and out of Wuhan since it was first detected.”

In Wuhan, “a transport hub to more than 11 million people and engine of growth in the world’s second largest economy,” the coronavirus poses not only a health danger, but a financial threat, says South China Morning Post. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, 2019-nCoV could cut between 0.5 to 1 percentage point of China’s gross domestic product growth (GDP) against a baseline forecast of 5.9%. More than 300 of the world’s top 500 companies have a presence in Wuhan (SAP, Microsoft, Groupe PSA), and their losses could have a global impact on the economy.

Like SARS, an economic shock by the coronavirus is inevitable, but with an estimated 3 billion trips planned for the Lunar New Year, an even larger impact is expected. While the result of 2019-nCoV is not yet clear, its effects are already starting to impact the world.              

Photo courtesy of NYPOST.COM