By Allen Baltazar (‘21)
The nightmare of a deadly virus breaching its containment source and escaping into the public is an international fear. At the dawn of the new year, the world witnessed the beginning of the Wuhan Coronavirus in China.
Today, the virus has infected 100,000 people and counting. The virus appears as a common cold with normal symptoms like a high fever and coughing. However, its rapid development into a virus has killed over 3,000 people globally and 11 people in the US, making unsuspecting countries scramble to treat infected citizens.
In just a week after the breakout in China, Japan and Thailand reported numerous cases of the virus, transforming a national health crisis into a global concern. The number of people infected and deaths continue to rise as countries struggle to control its spread.
On January 21, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported on the first case of the virus in the United States. A 35-year-old man reported to an urgent care center in Washington with flu-like symptoms. The illness was later found to be the deadly virus, causing nationwide fear of its arrival on U.S. soil.
On February 4th, NJ.com published an article discussing a large group of students and teachers from Princeton University who were requested self-quarantine upon their return from China.
A message sent out by Mrs. Maryann Murphy to all South Brunswick students provided information from the New Jersey Department of Health about the virus and how to avoid being infected.
On February 17, Princeton University announced on their official website that the students and staff that returned from China have completed their time in quarantine and have returned to normal on-campus activities.
According to the CDC, there have been about five hundred people under investigation for the virus in the United States. In the knowledge of administration and government officials, there has been no identified cure for the coronavirus. The safest measures include maintaining good hygiene and a habit of washing hands.
[UPDATE] An article written by USA Today on March 2nd detailed New York City’s first recorded case of the Coronavirus. A 35-year-old woman began to show symptoms after her return from Iran. Governor Andrew Cuomo warns the city that her case might not be the last to arrive in New York. The state has announced that they have plans to do their own studies instead of handing the case over to the CDC.