The Coronavirus: What We Know Now
by Bethany Johnson
April 2020
There has been an explosion in reported cases of the coronavirus. Now with more than 63,000 reported cases and more than 1,000 deaths globally, the outbreak that
began in Wuhan Province, China, has spread throughout the world. While most cases of the illness are in China, there’s been cases throughout East and South Asia in
places such as South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Australia, Cambodia, Germany, Canada, Sri Lanka and the United States.
The virus has even reached Europe, with France confirming multiple cases of infected residents. Overall the virus has infected more than 25 countries.
As the coronavirus is on the rise, with more cases confirmed in the United States, there have been some questions about China’s response and if China handled this
outbreak in the most responsible manner.
Initially and admittedly, the Chinese government was slow to act. This slow reaction allowed at least 5 million people to
leave the city of Wuhan, travelling to other provinces and other parts of the world, before travel restrictions and quarantines went into place.
An unexpected side effect of the coronavirus is an anti-Asian sentiment that has been spreading seemingly faster than the virus, particularly in France where there
have been multiple acts of racism directed toward the Asian community. Asian restaurants and businesses in the Asian community in France have become more empty,
according to authorities.
Currently, we don’t have any documented cases of the coronavirus, in Indiana, but the fear of it spreading is real. More cases of the virus are being diagnosed
in the United States. That is why Methodist Hospital staffs a team of 50 medical professionals, all volunteers, to address this and any other outbreak that may occur.
This unit was originally put together in response to the Ebola virus, then placed into use again, after the coronavirus, now called covid-19, was first diagnosed in
the United States.
As far as China is concerned, the Chinese government has fired two senior officials. They are currently the governments highest ranking officials, to be fired,
as a result of the mishandling of the response to this outbreak.