Novel Coronavirus ‘could infect 60% of global population’, warns renowned Hong Kong public health expert Gabriel Leung

Hongkong/Beijing: Gabriel Leung, a renowned medical expert from Hong Kong, warned that ‘if the measures to contain the Wuhan Coronavirus epidemic fail, 60% of the global population could get infected by the disease’. At the same time, senior Chinese advisors have warned that the spread of the epidemic may accelerate in the next few days. The successive warnings seem to suggest that the sun has set on the possibility of quickly averting the crisis of the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak.

The new Coronavirus epidemic that started in China in December is acquiring dangerous proportions by the day. In 24 hours on Monday, 108 patients were reported dead because of the virus and all the victims were from China. It takes the death toll of the Wuhan Coronavirus epidemic to more than 1,000. At the same time, the number of people infected by Coronavirus, which has spread to more than 25 countries in the world, has now crossed 43,000.

While the virus is fast spreading, severe repercussions are being felt at the international level as well. Effects of the epidemic are seen in various stock markets across the globe as also on oil and gold. Moreover, global trade and industry have taken a significant hit. Although the international community is requesting China to restart the private enterprises, the country has taken a firm stand deciding to keep the large and critical undertakings closed. As a result, the global economy has begun to take blows while individual companies have agreed to keep factories and related work shut in other countries.

While the situation globally is alarming, medical experts have begun issuing new warnings on the Wuhan virus. Just 24 hours ago, the chief of the World Health Organisation (WHO) had expressed concerns over the increasing number of Wuhan virus cases outside China and that it could just be the tip of the iceberg. In his response to the statement, Gabriel Leung, the leading public health expert from Hong Kong, highlighted that the size of the iceberg was required to be adequately assessed.

Gabriel Leung claimed that ‘As per experts, each person infected with the virus can transmit it to 2-2.5 people. Accordingly, the Wuhan Coronavirus can spread at a rate where 60%-80% of people in the world could be infected.’ Leung went on to caution that 60% of the global population was a dangerous figure. After that, Zhong Nanshan, China’s senior medical advisor, warned that the number of patients of the novel Coronavirus might rise in the next few days. By February end, the speed of transmission of the epidemic could increase manifold, the advisor claimed.

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