Wuhan native explains effects of COVID-19 in hometown

UPDATE: Fresno, Feb. 21, 2020

The latest number of infections nationwide has now reached 75,685, pushing the number of known deaths to at least 2,236, according to an Feb. 21 Aljazeera article.

In the following tweet, The New York Times provided factors that will determine how much coronavirus can be contained.

How bad will coronavirus get? Here are the 6 key factors, based on the latest information https://t.co/D8fbqiBdD8

— NYT Health (@NYTHealth) February 29, 2020

A total of 624 out of 3,711 passengers and crew members on the Diamond Princess cruise ship were infected by the coronavirus. A number of governments, including the United States and Canada, are evacuating their citizens from the ship.

A CBS News reported World Health Organization (WHO) Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the WHO would be appointing an international WHO team would visit Wuhan on Saturday. The WHO hope to contain the coronavirus  by sending out professionals on COVID-19 to different parts of the world.

Original article Feb. 14, 2020

Since its outbreak in December 2019, more than 1000 people have died of coronavirus in China, according to a 2020 HuffPost article. The total number of cases in mainland China stood at over 50,000, exceeding the 2003 outbreak of SARS, another coronavirus strand that infected 5,327 people in mainland China, with 349 deaths.

Coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan City, China, in December 2019. For confirmed infections in China, reported illnesses have ranged from mild sickness to severe illness and death. 

Coronavirus appeared in more and more cities in China because of the amount of people concentrated in the country for Chinese New Year, the biggest festival of the year. 

After confirming increasing cases in Wuhan City and its Province, Hebei, the government of China decided to blockade the city from any transportation including buses, subways, airplanes and trains. Wuhan is completely locked down as of Jan. 23, restricting movement for 60 million in the city. 

Native to Wuhan City, Xiaxia Jiang talked about the situation as a local resident.

“After the city is locked down, my dad and many relatives can’t come into the city,” Jiang said. “It made a mess of our new year gatherings and parties.”

The usual symptoms of coronavirus include cough, fever, shortness of breath and pneumonia. Coronavirus caused extreme panic because it was a new virus and doctors were initially unable to come up with an exact remedy.

People of all ages can be infected, but the rate is relatively low in children. Adults are most commonly infected, with the elderly and sickly appearing to be more susceptible.

“The biggest worry for me is that the elderly in my family will get infected,” Jiang. “They lack a sense of precaution and their immune systems are already weak.” 

In the following tweet, WHO releases a full statement by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on coronavirus.

The full statement by @DrTedros on IHR Emergency Committee on new #coronavirus ? https://t.co/4Ui8D6Mke8 pic.twitter.com/92rihQmclE

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 30, 2020

After knowing the severity, Jiang’s first action was to call her grandparents, urging them to stay at home and wear facial masks.

The Wuhan City resident’s aunt and uncle are both doctors in Wuhan Pu’ai Hospital. According to Jiang, doctors live in the hospital since the outbreak of the virus because of their frequent contact with the infected patients.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency for coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), Jan. 30. The virus is now officially an international concern because of how fast it is spreading around the world. 

According to The Seattle Times, the best way to avoid infection in China is to stay at home; wear facial masks to isolate nose and mouth infections if traveling outside is necessary. People across China are stockpiling facial masks to protect themselves from coronavirus, depleting online malls and store shelves from all over the world.

Many shops peddling antivirus masks have run out of stock as of the end of January. All across China people line up for hours at stores and pharmacies, hoping to secure more masks and cleaning supplies. 

While facial masks were commonly used in China many years in some polluted cities, people wear masks during coronavirus season to protect themselves from getting infections and keep each other accountable.

As China continues to fight against coronavirus, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a Q&A on coronavirus in the US. They work 24/7 to protect the public’s well-being and move quickly whenever there is a potential public health problem.  

According to CDC, the US is now experiencing the influenza (flu) season. Some people, such as older people, young children and those with certain health conditions are at high risk of serious flu complications.

The simplest way to prevent illness is to get flu shots at local pharmacy stores. This can protect against viruses that are believed to be the most common during the flu season. Flu vaccines trigger antibodies to develop in the body, usually within two weeks of having the shot.

Practice health habits such as washing hands regularly with soap and intentionally staying away from people who are sick. Raise awareness for flu and disease season while observing family and friends’ health conditions.

On how to prevent COVID-19, read percautions of coronavirus disease provided by CDC.

For more articles, read Discover Fresno exposes community to city needs, volunteer opportunities and Local scientists, students, teachers discuss climate crisis, controversies surface.

Serena Zhao can be reached via email.