Coronavirus a global emergency

As the coronavirus epidemic spreads across China and even beyond its borders, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared it as a global health emergency. “The main reason for this declaration is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries,” stated WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The WHO is concerned that the virus could spread to countries with weaker health systems. The US has already advised its citizens to desist from travelling to China. So far, there have been 98 cases in 18 other countries according to the WHO, but no deaths. Most of the people affected had been in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei. In addition, there  have been 8 cases of human-to-human infection – in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the United States. The US Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, has said the outbreak could “accelerate the return of jobs to North America”.