Coronavirus Numbers You Need to Know

Coronavirus particle, illustration. Different strains of coronavirus are responsible for diseases such as the common cold, gastroenteritis and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). A new coronavirus (2019-CoV) emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The virus causes a mild respiratory illness that can develop into pneumonia and be fatal in some cases. The coronaviruses take their name from their crown (corona) of surface proteins, which are used to attach and penetrate their host cells. Once inside the cells, the particles use the cells’ machinery to make more copies of the virus.

No fear mongering. No spin. No trying to convince you to buy all the toilet paper and hand sanitizer at your local big box store.

Here are the big numbers about Coronavirus you need to know to fully understand the scope of this outbreak. Whether these numbers are concerning or not is up to you!

On January 20th, the WHO situation report #1 found 278 cases in China with six deaths, plus four other cases across Asia with no deaths. That was the worldwide total.

As of yesterday’s (3/9) WHO situation report #49, there were 109,577 confirmed cases worldwide across more than 100 countries and territories . . . up 3,993 from the day before. There have been 3,809 deaths worldwide . . . up 225 from the day before.

In China alone, there were 80,904 confirmed cases and 3,123 deaths. The WHO risk assessment for China is “Very High,” and on a global level it’s also “Very High.”

In the U.S., the WHO’s latest report listed 213 cases and 11 deaths. The CDC is reporting 423 cases (the CDC includes both confirmed and presumptive cases) and 11 deaths. But this is a situation where numbers are changing by the hour. A tweet by President Trump yesterday morning reported 546 confirmed cases in the U.S. and 22 deaths.

So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 9, 2020

Those U.S. numbers will likely increase, though. One reason they’re low is because the U.S. didn’t have enough tests ready. So testing has been limited and, therefore, confirmed results have been limited. Now more tests are ready to go.

You can check out the WHO’s daily situation reports here.

As always, no reason to panic, but there’s plenty of reason to be mindful. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. You know, the usual stuff!