The corona virus epidemic has finally spread its way into the headlines. More toxic than the disgusting political pandering occuring in the Senate, WHO has declared a global health emergency. Russia has partially closed its 2600 mile border with China, and 170 people have died in 7,818 confirmed cases worldwide according to health officials. Wuhan, the city where the outbreak took place, has been quarantined. The infection is thought to have originated in a seafood market which
also sold illegal wildlife.The first recorded person to person transmission of the disease in the US has occurred. The infected US patient is the husband of a woman who returned to Chicago from Wuhan. Corona viruses cause the common cold, but also cause the deadly SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome--killed 774) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome--killed 858) infections. This outbreak appears to be a novel variety of the six known corona viruses.
With the spread of the dangerous virus, anti-Chinese sentiment has too. In a regional French newspaper the headline reads: "Yellow Alert". In Japan a hashtag reading, "ChineseDon'tComeToJapan" is trending on the Twit network. In a typically insensitive remark, a regime cabinet official told media that the Chinese disease outbreak may be a "silver lining" for US as jobs return from China. The profit line is never out of focus for the Ferengi; by the way, gold is up [chart, left] as investors dump stocks.
Anger from residents of Wuhan has erupted over the handling of the virus outbreak. Doctors have been assaulted at hospitals that are overflowing with patients. Medicines are running dangerously low in central China, despite an influx of supplies from abroad. Wuhan is eerily quiet with residents venturing out only for necessities in a city under lock down for a week. The government has promised adequate food supplies, but as Hubei province barricades itself to prevent disease spread, food supplies may become short or non-existent. City residents have already complained of price hikes by vendors.