By Annica Wu

Staff writer

   The coronavirus is a highly contagious respiratory disease in which one experiences cough, fever, shortness of breath and other flu-like symptoms. The virus has caused global panic, but don’t rush to put on face masks now as it is not necessary.

   The outbreak started on Dec. 31 of last year, and there were severe cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China. At the time, the virus was unknown, according to Al Jazeera. 

  Since then, the meat market in which the outbreak supposedly started has been closed and global precautions are being taken. 

  As of Feb. 21, the coronavirus has killed around 2000 in China primarily, but that is only because of their lack of healthcare workers and facilities, CNN writes.

“There have been more than 1000 infections outside of China and eight deaths from the disease — two aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship anchored off Japan, two in Iran, and one each in the Philippines, Korea, France and Japan”, the Mercury News finds. 

   In the United States, there are 26 positive cases of the coronavirus, according to the US News and World Report, but medical facilities are taking safeguard to prevent the virus from spreading.

   In California, there are a total of 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Santa Clara County, Orange County, San Diego, and Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times confirms that all the patients are in isolation and under strict medical attention.

   The Mercury News writes that the patient in Santa Clara county, a  man who had recently flown back from Wuhan has successfully recovered. 

   Furthermore, there are no confirmed coronavirus cases in Alhambra or Arcadia, despite rumors. 

   The virus is dangerous but it is no different than other outbreaks such as SARS and Ebola which were eventually cured. 

   The World Health Organization also estimated that around 12,000 to 61,000 die from the flu every year, meaning the coronavirus’s magnitude is not unique. 

   The media has also been exaggerating the effects of the virus with false numbers, causing widespread discrimnation against those of asian descent all around the world. 

  The CDC writes that washing hands with soap and water or with an alcohol based cleaner is effective. 

  Johns Hopkins University explains, “Certain models of professional, tight-fitting respirators (such as the N95) can protect health care workers as they care for infected patients. But for the general public, the benefit of wearing lightweight disposable surgical masks is not clear.”