The New Coronavirus From China Spreads Worse Than Authorities Know

Illustration of virus transmission (Moritz320 / Pixabay)

JAKARTA - The mysterious virus from China, which is now often referred to as the New Coronavirus, continues to spread. The scale is expanding. The researchers warned that the number of infections was far greater than the authorities found.

According to the BBC, the authorities have confirmed 60 cases in China, two of which resulted in the death of the victim.

The spread of the pneumonia outbreak linked to the virus has centered around a seafood market in the central city of Wuhan.

Meanwhile, according to researchers, there are thousands of people who are very likely to be infected with the virus. A paper published by scientists from the MRC Center for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College, London, confirms the possibility of an even worse one: 1,723 cases in Wuhan as of January 12.

MRC Center scientists are one of the most trusted groups in the world of health, especially when it comes to disease outbreaks.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a mobile organization with input from scientists at the MRC Center.

Researchers took the number of cases reported from outside China so far. Through international flight traffic data at Wuhan Airport, they concluded the possible scale of the expansion of the outbreak.

"With Wuhan having infected three cases into other countries (two in Thailand and one in Japan) this has implied there are more cases than have been reported," said Neil Ferguson, co-author of the report. .

"I am substantially more worried about this issue than it was one week ago. However, it is too early to worry," he added.

Furthermore, Ferguson also reminded people to be aware of human-to-human transmission of the virus. "It is unlikely that exposure to animals is a major source of infection," said Ferguson.

World countries are starting to take serious steps to prevent the entry of the virus. Hong Kong is stepping up detection measures, including carrying out strict temperature checks on travelers from China.

Meanwhile, the United States (US) conducts detection on every flight from Wuhan at San Francisco Airport and JFK in New York, both of which are airports that receive direct flights from Wuhan.