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Asia Pacific: Coronavirus outbreak - Information bulletin

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China
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IFRC
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The situation

On 31 December 2019, the Wuhan city in China was reported to have cases of unknown pneumonic disease. On 9 January 2020, the virus was identified to be a Coronavirus – a virus from a broad family that can range from less severe cases similar to the common cold to more serious illnesses including Severe acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The novel coronavirus is named as 2019-nCoV. By 23 January, 571 cases were confirmed, primarily in Wuhan Province in China, with some individuals carrying the disease outside China including to Thailand, Republic of Korea and Japan. The number of suspected cases is growing fast in China, and as people get tested, the number of confirmed cases will rise. Below is the chronology of the outbreak since 31 December 2019:

31 December 2019 The government of China reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan, Hubei Province.

1 January 2020 The market suspected to be the origin of the outbreak is closed.

9 January 2020 WHO announces that the outbreak in Wuhan is caused by a previously unknown type of coronavirus. The virus is called 2019-nCoV.

11 January 2020 The first death of coronavirus was declared by Chinese health authorities

13 January 2020 The virus spreads cross borders for the first time as Thailand announces their first case, a person who has travelled from Wuhan.

16 January 2020 The first case of the virus is confirmed in Japan, also exported from Wuhan.

17-19 January 2020 The number of confirmed cases identifies grew exponentially as the testing for the virus enables reliable results.

20 January 2020 Republic of Korea reported the first case of novel coronavirus