We are in the midst of a medical crisis.

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The deadly coronavirus, or COVID-19, as medical experts are referring to it, has taken our planet hostage, and is showing no signs of letting go anytime soon.

What exactly is COVID-19, and just how dangerous is it?

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According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 is a new strain of coronaviruses that had not been previously been identified in humans.

The virus primarily affects the respiratory system.

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And common symptoms include fever, coughing, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties.

But, in more severe cases...

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And in patients who are elderly and have existing health issues, the virus can lead to pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death.

Nearly 200,000 people all over the world have now been infected with the virus...

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206,951, to be precise. And, devastatingly, a staggering 8,272 more have been reported to have died from the illness.

It's a dire situation.

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And many have been asking the same thing - Where did this virus actually come from?

Well, the virus is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China.

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On December 31st, 2019, China alerted the World Health Organization of several flu-like cases in Wuhan.

And where did it come from?

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Many different theories have been proposed, but it is now widely believed to have originated from the sale of meat from wild animals, especially bats, where the virus has been discovered in the past.

And, despite infected people being quarantined...

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The virus was alarmingly quick to spread, with cases being reported as far away as Thailand just one week later.

It only took a month for the World Health Organization to declare a global emergency...

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Which was done in an attempt to combat the virus and enable countries to put in strict measures to prevent any further spread.

But these attempts were to little avail.

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Because, fast forward 3 months, and nearly every major country in the world has been infected by the virus, with some of the worst affected being Japan, South Korea, Russia, Italy, Iran, and Spain.

World leaders have been left with little choice but to bring their countries to a total stand-still...

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And many have banned large and crowded events, and any travel to and from infected countries.

Italy has even gone into total lockdown...

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Leaving their streets completely deserted.

And it didn't take long for the virus to reach us here in the States.

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Our first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Washington in late January after a citizen returned from a trip to China.

And, since then, the numbers have been rising at a frightening pace.

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Since the first COVID-19 patient in Washington, there have been 7,387 more confirmed cases across the country and 116 deaths.

Several cities have declared states of emergencies...

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And, on Friday, President Trump declared a national emergency to combat the coronavirus pandemic, freeing up $50 billion in federal funding and promising a screening website and drive-by tests.

His move came after the World Health Organization confirmed COVID-19 as a pandemic last week.

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FYI... A pandemic is a disease that is spreading in multiple countries around the world at the same time.

He also announced a temporary travel ban...

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Which prohibits any travel between the United States and any European country, including the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Yep, things are getting pretty serious.

And many people have been descending into mass hysteria over the risks the virus brings with it.

Many people have been unable to work due to much of the States going on lockdown.

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People working in industries such as travel and dining have had their workplaces shut down due to the pandemic.

President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin have promised that Americans will receive direct payments.

“These will be payments to small businesses, we've talked about loan guarantees to critical industries such as airlines and hotels, and we've also talked about a stimulus package to the American worker," Mnuchin said today. “We're looking at sending checks to Americans immediately. Americans need cash now, the President wants to get cash now, I mean now, in the next few weeks."

Even after that announcement, Bernie Sanders doesn't think it's enough.

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He is urging the President to increase each check to $2000 for every American household per month.

He also stressed that this should be the case all throughout the pandemic.

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During a speech on how to handle the coronavirus, he said this: "We can do it. We can address this crisis. We can minimize the pain."

He suggested that the government should use 2 trillion dollars.

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He said that if they use this money and spread it out across the country, they could "to prevent deaths, jobs losses and to avoid an economic catastrophe."

It all sounds good, but it might be difficult to get the money at such a short notice...

Keep safe during this difficult time. Self-isolation is currently the best method in order to avoid the spreading of the deadly disease. If you want to read more about how difficult it is to be facing such a pandemic with limited supplies, then keep scrolling...