Mere months into the deadly coronavirus outbreak, tens of thousands of people have been infected as the disease spreads across the globe at an alarming rate.
Numerous cases of coronavirus have been confirmed here in the States and now, San Francisco has become the first U.S. city to declare a state of emergency regarding the medical crisis - Despite having no confirmed cases of the disease.
Keep scrolling for the full story...
We are currently in the midst of a medical crisis.
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Originating from the Chinese city of Wuhan, a deadly virus known as the coronavirus has been rapidly spreading across the globe.But what exactly is the coronavirus?
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Reuters gave a short guide to what it is exactly... "Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that get their name from what they look like under a microscope - they are spherical and their surfaces are covered with "crown"-like spikes."So far, the symptoms have proven to be deadly.
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"Coronavirus infections have a wide range of symptoms, including fever, coughing, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Severe cases can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and death."A lot of people have now died from the virus...
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It has been confirmed by Worldometer that 2,769 people have now died globally, with the majority being in mainland China. A further 81,229 have been found to carry the virus and be infected.Things are only getting worse...
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The virus continues to rapidly spread, and traces of the disease have already been discovered and confirmed in 8 other countries including here in America, the U.K, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and Japan.The United Nations have declared a global emergency.
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The World Health Organization declared the emergency last month and called on all countries to take urgent measures to contain the respiratory disease.And everyone has been asking the same thing...
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What is it that's causing this deadly virus?There are many theories...
Reports that two patients have been tested for #Coronavirus in Scotland. NHS Lothian and NHS Greater Glasgow and… https://t.co/XFxOFEbLNv— Chris Green (@Chris Green)1579789802.0
Bats are believed to be one of the main culprits...
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Strains of the virus have been discovered in bats in the past and, with them being a delicacy in some areas of China, they are believed to be one of the primary causes.Chinese influencers have been heavily criticized for the consumption of bats...
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And many have been eating the bats whole without properly preparing or cooking them.But regardless of where it comes from, the virus can be spread quickly and easily...
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And the World Health Organization has warned that it can be spread by simply coughing, kissing or making contact with saliva.Scientists have been working tirelessly in a bid to find a vaccine...
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But despite generous donations made to the cause, they have so far had no luck.
And many are going to extreme lengths to protect themselves.
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People have been spotted donning face masks and various other items of clothing and materials in airports in a desperate bid to avoid the virus.And last week, the panic peaked when the head of Wuhan Hospital, the city known for being at the center of the crisis, tragically died.
Director of Wuchang Hospital in #Wuhan, respected neurosurgeon, Liu Zhiming, died at age 50 on Feb. 18 due to the… https://t.co/YtBtOsLrbt— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China)1582001748.0
His death was confirmed by People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's Communist Party.
This is utterly devastating news.It's safe to say that researchers are now getting desperate...
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And there is an immense amount of pressure on authorities to find a cure, and fast.Because the virus continues to spread across the globe like wildfire...
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And it's showing no signs of slowing down.As stated earlier, the coronavirus has infected numerous different countries now...
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Including the United States.The number of cases here in America is rising...
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And, so far, fifty-seven people have been confirmed to have been infected with the virus.And the disease is only expected to continue spreading...
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday that it expects the coronavirus to spread in the United States and has asked Americans to prepare for when the virus hits, not if, CNN reported.Preparations are underway...
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And hospitals across the country are bracing themselves for an influx of infected patients.But, for San Francisco, conditions have been deemed as too dire...
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And they have become the first U.S. city to declare an official state of emergency... Despite not having any confirmed cases of the virus.San Francisco mayor, London Breed, declared the local emergency on Tuesday.
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“Although there are still zero confirmed cases in San Francisco residents, the global picture is changing rapidly, and we need to step-up preparedness," she said in a statement.She has called the emergency in a bid to prevent any cases of the virus in her city.
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She explained: “We see the virus spreading in new parts of the world every day, and we are taking the necessary steps to protect San Franciscans from harm."Declaring an emergency will enable the county to stock up on medical supplies and facilities...
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And will allow nurses and doctors to prepare for a possible influx of patients.Yet, despite this worrying development...
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President Trump still seems to think that we have everything under control.Yesterday, the President took to Twitter to applaud the work he and his administration have been doing regarding the virus outbreak...
He wrote: "CDC and my Administration are doing a GREAT job of handling Coronavirus, including the very early closing of our borders to certain areas of the world."And, of course, he managed to turn the whole thing around onto the Democrats.
Because that's what Trump does best, isn't it? "It was opposed by the Dems, “too soon", but turned out to be the correct decision. No matter how well we do, however, the Democrats talking point is that we are doing badly. If the virus disappeared tomorrow, they would say we did a really poor, and even incompetent, job."President Trump remains confident regarding the coronavirus situation here in the States...
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And has reminded people that, under his rule, there's yet to be any fatalities, writing: "So far, by the way, we have not had one death. Let’s keep it that way!" This is a developing story, and updates will be posted accordingly.