The coronavirus epidemic hit new highs on Monday after communist China said that an additional 108 people died from the virus over the previous 24 hours, bringing the death total to 1,016.
Communist China also claimed that 2,467 more people were infected with the virus over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of people infected to 42,638.
Newsweek reported last week that “a study published in the medical journal The Lancet estimated that the number of coronavirus infections could be more than four times higher than the number given by Chinese authorities.”
“It said its ‘baseline scenario’ put the figure in the city of Wuhan at 75,815 as of January 25,” Newsweek continued. “The Lancet report also projected the “epidemics are already growing exponentially in multiple major cities of China with a lag time behind the Wuhan outbreak of about 1–2 weeks.”
The New York Times reported last week that Chinese residents said that the epidemic was significantly worse than what China’s communist government claimed.
“The situation that we’ve seen is much worse than what has been officially reported,” Long Jian, 32, told The New York Times. “Those who can get diagnosed and treated are the lucky ones. In our neighborhood, many who weren’t able to get diagnosed ended up dying at home.”
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who goes by his first name, is the director-general of the World Health Organization and warned on Monday that the numbers currently being reported may not accurately reflect how bad the situation is.
“As I told media yesterday, #2019nCoV spread outside #China appears to be slow now, but could accelerate. Containment remains our objective, but all countries must use the window of opportunity created by the containment strategy to prepare for the virus’s possible arrival,” Tedros said. “There’ve been some concerning instances of onward #2019nCoV spread from people with no travel history to 🇨🇳. The detection of a small number of cases may indicate more widespread transmission in other countries; in short, we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg.”
There’ve been some concerning instances of onward #2019nCoV spread from people with no travel history to 🇨🇳. The detection of a small number of cases may indicate more widespread transmission in other countries; in short, we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 9, 2020
The biggest impact from the coronavirus could be felt in the global economy since China has become the world’s second most powerful economy and the outbreak has halted production in the communist nation.
“More than two weeks after China locked down a major city to stop a dangerous viral outbreak, one of the world’s largest economies remains largely idle,” The Times reported. “Much of the country was supposed to have reopened by now, but its empty streets, quiet factories and legions of inactive workers suggest that weeks or months could pass before this vital motor of global growth is humming again.”
“The global economy could suffer the longer China stays in low gear,” The Times added. “It has been hampered by both the outbreak and its own containment efforts, a process that has cut off workers from their jobs and factories from their raw materials. The result is a slowdown that is already slashing traffic along the world’s shipping lines and leading to forecasts of a sharp fall in production of everything from cars to smartphones.”
Jörg Wuttke, the president of the European Chamber of Commerce in China, said, “It’s like Europe in medieval times.”