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Congressional Research Service
Inforrinirg the legislive debate since 1914


Updated February 27, 2020


COVID-2019: Global Implications and Responses


Overview
As of February 27, 2020, the novel coronavirus first
identified in patients in Wuhan, China, in early January
2020 had spread to over 45 countries, including the United
States. Daily new cases reported outside China now exceed
those reported in China. The World Health Organization
(WHO)  has declared the outbreak a Public Health
Emergency  of International Concern but has resisted
labeling it a pandemic. WHO Director-General Tedros
Adhanom  Ghebreyesus stated on February 26 that using the
word pandemic could signal that we can no longer
contain the virus, which is not true. WHO has named the
new virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus
2 (SARS-CoV-2)  and the disease that it causes
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The   Virus
Coronaviruses are a large family of zoonotic viruses
(viruses transmissible between animals and humans) that
can cause illness ranging from the common cold to more
severe diseases such as Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome
(MERS)  and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
The most common  symptoms  among confirmed COVID-19
patients include fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath.
As of February 26, 2020, WHO reported more than 80,000
confirmed COVID-19  cases globally, including more than
2,700 deaths. All but 5% of the cases and 60 of the deaths


were in mainland China, and over 80% of cases in mainland
China were reported in Hubei Province, whose capital is
Wuhan.  Of confirmed COVID-19 patients in China, about
80%  experienced only mild symptoms, 13% experienced
severe symptoms, and 6% became critically ill. Outside
mainland China, the jurisdictions with the highest reported
caseloads were South Korea, Italy, Japan, and Iran. More
than 700 cases have been detected from the Diamond
Princess cruise ship, docked alongside Yokohama, Japan.
In addition to China, the United States and Germany have
confirmed community transmission of COVID-19,
indicating the global response may need to move from a
containment strategy to one of mitigation.
Within days of Chinese scientists' sequencing the virus,
scientists around the globe developed lab tests to diagnose
COVID-19.  Current diagnostic supplies are insufficient to
meet global demand, however. While trying to increase
supply of these tests, developers are also trying to create
faster, cheaper, and more easily administered tests. No
specific treatments or vaccines for COVID-19 exist. The
U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicated in late
January that a candidate vaccine for COVID-19 could be
ready for early-stage human testing within three months,
compared to the 20 months it took to begin early-state
development of an investigational SARS vaccine.


Figure I. Locations with Confirmed COVID-19   Cases Globallv. as of Februarv 27. 2020


      ource:coWorld Healt_...Organian~r ny in Jpanseteritra HeatCtermp.
Source: 'World Health Organization and National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China.


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