Coronavirus crisis could last until 2021 - and return EVERY winter
Countries on three continents have reported reported their first cases of the coronavirus as the world prepares for a pandemic of the disease, which experts are warning could last until 2021.
A specialised coronavirus clinic in the inner western Sydney suburb of Camperdown has reportedly been overrun with hundreds of suspected cases since opening last month.
According to News.com.au, the clinic is staffed by just one doctor and two nurses who have seen 300 people arriving with coronavirus symptoms in less than 30 days.
The report comes one day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the Australian government will treat the outbreak as a pandemic.
Scientists have warned that much remains unknown about the virus, which can lead to pneumonia, and say a vaccine could take up to 18 months to develop.
‘This is going to be a marathon’
Malaria researcher Alistair Miles from the University of Oxford has warned tackling the deadly virus “is probably going to be a marathon, not a sprint”.
Mr Miles cautioned on Twitter that the public need to take the threat of an epidemic seriously and advised followers to stock up on prescription medication and food.
“Unfortunately it doesn't look like this will be over quickly. The new coronavirus may be with us into next year. It might even become a seasonal infection, returning each winter.” Mr Miles wrote.
Mainland China - where the virus originated late last year - recently reported 327 new cases, the lowest since January 23, taking its tally to more than 78,800 cases with almost 2800 deaths.
Four more countries reported first cases this week, taking the number of countries and territories outside China with infections to 55, with about 3700 cases killing about 70 people.
Countries other than China are accounting for about three-quarters of new infections.
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First case confirmed in New Zealand
A person who returned on a flight from Iran became the first to be diagnosed with coronavirus in New Zealand on Friday.
An Italian man who arrived in Nigeria this week was confirmed as the first coronavirus case in Africa's most populous country.
While in eastern Europe, Belarus and Lithuania both reported their first cases.
Mongolia, which has yet to confirm a case, placed its president, Battulga Khaltmaa, in quarantine after he returned from a trip to China as a precaution.
In Europe, France's number of reported cases doubled, Germany warned of an impending epidemic and Greece, a gateway for refugees from the Middle East, announced tighter border controls.
The death toll in Italy, Europe's worst-hit country, rose to 17 this week and the number of people who tested positive for the illness increased by more than 200 to 655.
Germany has about 45 cases, France about 38 and Spain 23, according to a Reuters count.
Tedros Adhanom, director-general of the World Health Organization, told reporters in Geneva that Iran, Italy and South Korea were at a "decisive point" in their efforts to prevent a wider outbreak.
South Korea has the most cases outside China, and reported 256 new infections on Friday, bringing the total to 2022.
2020 Olympics will go ahead
Japan is scheduled to host the 2020 Olympics in July but discussions were being held with organisers about whether to go ahead.
As of Friday, confirmed cases in Japan topped 200, with four deaths, excluding more than 700 cases and four more deaths from a quarantined cruise liner, Diamond Princess.
Japan has told schools to close and said big gatherings should be scrapped or curtailed, while pledging the Games would go ahead.
Recovered patients still infectious
A Chinese health official said some recovered patients had been found to be infectious, raising fears the epidemic may be even harder to eradicate.
In addition to stockpiling medical supplies, governments ordered schools shut and cancelled big gatherings to try to halt the flu-like disease known as COVID-19.
"The only way to be prepared is to invest in countries when there is not an outbreak, to develop the necessary expertise and infrastructure. Without the right systems in place, it becomes very difficult to get ahead of an outbreak,” Mr Miles said.
—With AAP
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