The death toll in China from the recent coronavirus outbreak has climbed to 132, as confirmed cases globally have risen to more than 6,000, health officials said Wednesday.
Deaths due to the virus jumped from 106 on Tuesday and the number of overall patients with the illness increased from 4,593 to 6065, a World Health Organization spokesperson wrote in an email to MassLive.
Five patients in the U.S. have tested positive for the 2019-nCoV strain of the coronavirus since Jan. 21. More than 100 additional patients from 26 states are being monitored, 32 of whom tested negative for the illness. Seventy-three people are awaiting results, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. The confirmed cases were reported in Arizona, California, Illinois and Washington state.
“WHO has been working with Chinese authorities and global experts from the day we were informed, to learn more about the virus, how it affects the people who are sick with it, how they can be treated, and what countries can do to respond,” the organization said in a statement.
Patients with the illness were reported in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Vietnam and other Asian countries. More cases are likely to be identified in the coming days, the CDC said.
Boston Logan International Airport joined a number of U.S. airports Tuesday in screening passengers for the coronavirus. The CDC will begin enhanced public health screenings for the virus at all 20 ports of entry it oversees, according to the CDC.
The outbreak started in Wuhan, China, with many early patients reporting links to a large seafood and animal market. While the illness may have initially spread from animals to people, a growing number of recent patients have not had exposure to animal markets, indicating that a person-to-person spread is occurring, the CDC said.
A warning was issued by the CDC on Tuesday against all nonessential travel to China. Chinese officials have also closed transport near Wuhan and other cities in the Hubei province.
Two people in New Hampshire are being tested for the coronavirus, though the risk of infection in New England is “very low" due to the region’s distance from airports that receive flights from near the Hubei Province of China, where the outbreak started, said Sarah Haessler, an epidemiologist at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.
The coronavirus can cause coughing, difficulty breathing and feverish conditions. Infected people have shown a range of symptoms, though. Some patients have suffered little sickness, while others have suffered serious illness and death, according to the CDC.
The 2019-nCoV falls under the larger umbrella of coronaviruses common among multiple species, including camels, cattle, cats and bats. Animal coronaviruses, which rarely transmit to people, can spread from person-to-person through MERS and SARS.
No vaccine to prevent the coronavirus currently exists. The CDC has recommended preventive measures, though, including frequently washing one’s hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoiding contact with people who are sick, staying home if one’s ill, covering one’s cough or sneeze with a tissue and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Related Content:
- Travelers at Boston Logan International Airport to be screened for coronavirus
- People begin to worry even after CDC says the risk of coronavirus is low in the US
- CDC advises public to avoid all nonessential travel to China
- 2 people in New Hampshire being tested for coronavirus after recently traveling to Wuhan, China
- Low risk of coronavirus coming to Massachusetts, experts say