Osler, Sidney - Coronavirus Outbreak_ All the Secrets Revealed About the Covid-19 Pandemic. A Complete Rational Guide of its Evolution, Expansion, Symptoms and First Defense. (2020)

patients with corona virus. Chinese scientists deposited the
corona virus genetic signature in public libraries, which
greatly accelerated the production of diagnostic tests and,
eventually, vaccines. The Chinese authorities cordoned off the
major cities at the epicenter of the epidemic, Hubei Province,
stranding over 50 million people at the height of New Year’s
Lunar holidays— a step that few other countries could have
taken.
It remains to be seen whether that massive cordon can prove
effective. Five million people were able to flee Wuhan, the
city where the outbreak started, before it closed its train and
bus stations and airports. The Chinese Government has set a
new standard for response to the outbreak. Many countries
should be thankful that only 98 of the nearly 10,000 cases
reported so far have taken place outside of the borders of
China, he said.
Notwithstanding the state of emergency, and notwithstanding
the fact that the State Department is advising Americans to
stay away from China, the W.H.O. is opposed to limits on
travel to or trade with China. According to the president of the
agency’s emergency committee, steps the agency finds
unwarranted include border closures, visa restrictions and the
quarantining of apparently healthy travelers from affected
regions.
Other countries have already taken many of those steps against
China. That’s not to say that there weren’t missteps. Last week
the W.H.O. described its outbreak risk assessment as
“moderate” when it should have said “high.” The mistake was
added to the agency’s report in a footnote. U.S. researchers
have written about spotty epidemiological knowledge coming
from China. The W.H.O., too, cannot share information with
Taiwan, which now has eight patients with corona virus, as
Taiwan is not a member of the UN.
The corporation “does not want its main stakeholders to get
upset. China holds the political clout many countries don’t
have. Yet, along with its effects, the epidemic seems to be
accelerating. On Friday China said another 43 people had died