By Thomas Lucy

Over the past few months, a disease that began in a small, wet market in Wuhan Province in northern China has escalated entire provinces being quarantined, and now it is a global pandemic. With travel around the world being limited, and people panicking over a common cold, what is to come of this new global terror?

Coronavirus isn’t something that is rare when it comes to viruses; it is a common disease that often disguises itself as a common cold. The CDC says, “Most people get infected with these viruses at some point in their lives. These illnesses usually only last for a short amount of time. ” The virus’s symptoms are described as a common infection that affects your nose, sinuses, and upper throat. But, the 2019 outbreak is not the virus that can be described similarly to a cold; this new type is called the Novel Coronavirus. 

This disease resembles past epidemics. In 2002, the SARs Coronavirus spread throughout China and had over 5,000 infections, with 774 deaths. The 2019-20 Novel Coronavirus (nCOV) is comparable to the SARS virus, but the Novel Coronavirus has proven to be more contagious than SARS, as there are 55,000 more cases of nCOV compared to SARS. This is a greater infection rate than SARS, which had a higher mortality rate of 10%. 

With the situation in China worsening by the day, medical supplies running low, and people in a panic, exact numbers and statistics are changing constantly. As of Feb. 13th, there were 60,416 cases, 1,370 deaths, and 6,295 have recovered. 

The disease can move quickly. On January 12, in Wuhan province, a Wuhan native named Huang took his 65-year-old mother to the hospital; she had recently contracted a fever and a cough. He was nervous about her having the “mystery virus.” She was checked into the hospital and not quarantined.  She was given a CAT scan which showed her lungs covered in white nodules, and she passed away on January 15. She was not tested for Coronavirus, and doctors said she died of extreme pneumonia. 

Lily Kuo and Lillian Yang of The Guardian quote Huang in an interview, in which he says, “‘My mother’s death was dealt with without any dignity.” He did not want to give his or his mother’s full name. “’She wasn’t even counted as a number on the government’s list,’ he said, referring to the six people authorities say have been killed by the virus” at that time. His mother’s body was ordered to be immediately cremated, without the family’s permission. Actions like these by Chinese authorities fuel suspicions that not all of the information coming out of China is accurate regarding the nCOV outbreak. 

Reports from the UK’s Daily Mail have said Wuhan’s crematoriums are running overtime in the city because the government is ordering that bodies that are supposed to be infected or are confirmed to be infected must be burned.

An article in the British publication The Express described an interview with Wuhan citizens, and one said, “Everyone knows the seriousness, but at this time, I can only express it here! The crematoriums of major funeral homes in Wuhan are currently working 24 hours! Before, it was only half a day to open the stove! Even in special circumstances, it is only a full day shift!” Footage shared by the New York Times shows Wuhan without cars on the streets and only a rare sighting on a person walking around the city. 

But how does this disease affect the United States? The U.S. government has taken many steps to fight and prevent the disease from spreading on American soil. As of February 5, there had been 11 reported cases in the United States, and all victims had been quarantined directly off of flights from Wuhan Province and many other flights from China. Airports are now monitoring all flights around the world and have temperature detectors installed to ensure that this disease does not continue to spread. More than 80 people are currently secluded and being tested for nCOV, but none of those cases have been confirmed. 

On Jan 29, President Trump announced the formation of the President’s Coronavirus Task Force. The White House website says, “The Task Force will lead the Administration’s efforts to monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of the virus while ensuring that the American people have the most accurate and up-to-date health and travel information.” This cautious approach by the United States has kept the public mostly calm on the homefront, but the world is still worried about the events occurring behind Chinese borders. 

But even closer to home, Collegiate has witnessed the repercussions of the Coronavirus through the IEL Asia Senior Capstone class. This course studies Chinese culture and international business, and the students were planning to travel to China in mid-March. The capstone class consists of 11 Chinese-speaking seniors, and due to the virus, the trip to Shanghai will not be possible. Davis Messer (‘20) said, “It would have been a cool learning experience to go to China with my IEL Asia class, but I understand that there is a risk that someone could contract the coronavirus and potentially spread it to others in our community.” 

This opportunity to go to China is an immersing experience, but the safety of the students comes first. As for the canceled trip, Trina Clemans, Director of Economic Literacy and Entrepreneurship and the teacher for IEL Asia stated, “Given the ever-evolving nature of this outbreak and current information, we believed this was the best decision for all involved at this time. While we understand that we cannot replicate the experience of traveling to China, we now have the unique opportunity to plan a late March trip to New York City. The experience is an alternative way to discover the complexities of doing business in China and understand multiple perspectives, as well as how to design and implement innovative work that honors Chinese culture and mindsets.” This change of plans to New York City will still enable students learn about Chinese culture. They will meet with the NBA’s Vice President of Global Innovation and the CEO of NBA China, financial service professionals whose work involves interaction with China, and they’ll attend a lecture at Columbia University and visit museums and cultural sites that share the Chinese American experience.

This virus has escalated to one of the largest outbreaks of the last 100 years and has put China in a state of terror. China and the rest of the world are doing their best to contain the nCOV to prevent it from doing further damage. The virus has lasting effects all around the world, stirring the emotions of travelers, and it’s even had a direct effect here at Collegiate.

Feature image credit: LiveScience.com.