The 2019 novel coronavirus is a WHO global health emergency. Since it began using the designation in 2005, the World Health Organization has declared global health emergencies only 5 times before. The first case of the 2019 novel coronavirus was reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan on New Year’s Eve. Now, over 30,000 people in at least 26 countries have contracted it. The vast majority of confirmed cases are in Mainland China, where the numbers continue to skyrocket, and where more than 600 people have died as a result. Border closings, suspended flights, a city-wide evacuation and quarantine make for scary stuff. So what is it we’re really talking about when we talk about the coronavirus? And what can we do to protect ourselves?
