It felt like just yesterday that I was writing about the mystery Wuhan virus that was giving pneumonia-like symptoms to those who were infected.
At the time, the confirmed cases were confined to China. It hadn’t travelled across borders and all we knew was that it stemmed from the notorious market in Wuhan that sold live animals.
Suddenly, Singapore received its first confirmed case of the Wuhan virus, and then even more suddenly, here we are with some very large numbers.
Wuhan Virus Death Toll Now Over 300 & Total Infections Over 14.3K
For instance, the number of confirmed cases in Singapore is a whopping 18 and among them is a Singaporean.
On the other hand, the total number of infections all over the world is at an all-time high of over 14,300, while the number of deaths from the virus is at over 300.
To be more specific, according to Chinese state television, the number of deaths in China’s central Hubei province from the coronavirus increased by 45 to 304.
The alarming thing is that we’ve grown so accustomed to treating these numbers as just big scary figures, but they’re more than just figures.
These are actual human beings, with family, friends, husbands and wives.
Altogether, there have been 1,921 more confirmed cases in Hubei that’s located at the core of the outbreak.
The total in the province alone has reached a whopping 9,074.
Even more frighteningly, most of the deaths and confirmed cases are concentrated in Hubei.
Where It Came From
The virus is believed to have cropped up back in December 2019 in the provincial capital of Wuhan, at a meat market that sold wild animals.
It was only last week that China took strong action and sealed off Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province by stopping travel of about 1.4 billion people.
But the measure came way too late because many had travelled overseas during the long Chinese New Year holiday.
Even the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a global health emergency as confirmed cases cropped up in over 20 countries… including Singapore.
All we can do now is practise good personal hygiene and take the necessary precautions. Together, we can beat this virus.
