A South Korean woman was infected as a result of a visit to Thailand... where she was holidaying... no visit to China, no known contact with Chinese infected persons.
It is quite apparent the long incubation period, (14 days) plus the fact the virus spreads quickly... more like a standard flu virus than the SARS or MERS viruses, means the whole of Southeast Asia is probably going to see infections... with potential rates like Hubei... and these countries have either inferior or comparable health care systems as China.
The only good news... it seems most people who get the virus are able to survive it without much more than flu like effects... although the elderly and the young and those with pre-existing conditions are vulnerable.
Its the countries with poor health care systems and dense populations which are most vulnerable... I don't like to think what might happen in India if the virus gets loose there... the health care system there, while ok for standard illnesses, is just not set up to implement the kind of isolation care required. Plus a lot of people are borderline well nourished... If it spreads to India, then I would expect many thousands to die.
The other real problem is the effect it is having on the world's economy... with how interlinked countries are.
Korean automaker Hyundai had to shut down production on some of its models due to lack of parts from its Chinese supplier... those factories have been shut down to prevent infection.
China is a big supplier for a lot of US companies... think Home Depot and Walmart... may have an effect there.
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