Coronavirus Death Toll Keeps Climbing, Including Someone That Didn’t Even Travel to China

Coronavirus Map: Distribution of COVID-19 case as of February 14, 2020. Credit: WHO

Note: There is now a newer Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Situation Report 36.

WHO Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Situation Report 25

• No new countries reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.
• The second death has been reported outside of China, in Japan. This individual did not have known travel history to China.
• In China, health care workers account for 1716 confirmed cases of COVID-19 including six deaths.

Risk Assessment

China: Very High

Regional Level: High

Global Level: High

Coronavirus Situation in Numbers

Globally

• • 64437 cases
  • 49053 laboratory-confirmed (2056 new)

China

• • 63932 cases
  • 48548 laboratory-confirmed (1998 new)
  • 1381 deaths (121 new)

Outside of China

• • 505 laboratory-confirmed (58 new)
  • 24 countries (0 new)
  • 2 deaths (1 new)

Countries, territories or areas with reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, February 14, 2020

Recommendations and Advice for the Public

During previous outbreaks due to other coronaviruses (Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), human-to-human transmission occurred through droplets, contact, and fomites, suggesting that the transmission mode of the 2019-nCoV can be similar. The basic principles to reduce the general risk of transmission of acute respiratory infections include the following:

• Avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections.
• Frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment.
• Avoiding unprotected contact with farm or wild animals.
• People with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands).
• Within healthcare facilities, enhance standard infection prevention and control practices in hospitals, especially in emergency departments.

WHO does not recommend any specific health measures for travelers. In case of symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness either during or after travel, travelers are encouraged to seek medical attention and share their travel history with their healthcare provider.