2019-nCoV: IDSA’s Science Speaks Blog Provides Breaking Updates

The emergence of a novel coronavirus, first reported at the end of 2019 in one of China’s most populous cities, has since highlighted public health gaps and vulnerabilities to infectious disease outbreaks worldwide, as the virus has spread to a growing number of countries.

Since Jan. 7, in more than 20 posts, the IDSA/HIVMA global Science Speaks blog has kept its readers informed on data, policies, research and responses surrounding the new coronavirus–2019-nCoV–providing posts with up-to-date breaking news and developments, questions and answers.

Developments Science Speaks reported in January included:

• Reports on the first, and successive patients diagnosed with the virus in the United States and the decision to screen passengers at first three, then five, and now 20 international airports here in the U.S.;
• The first confirmation of transmission of the coronavirus from one person to another in the United States;
• A World Health Organization emergency committee’s discussions of the threats posed by the epidemic in China and decision, in its second meeting to declare the continued spread of the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern – a PHEIC;
• And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decision to quarantine 195 Americans who returned from Wuhan, China in late January.

In addition, Science Speaks has offered the insights of member experts, in:

• A post from IDSA President Thomas File, Jr., MD, MSc, FIDSA, on needs demonstrated by the ongoing global public health crisis for a trained and ready infectious disease specialist workforce;
• And a series of updates and analyses from IDSA Global Health Committee Member Daniel Lucey, MD, FIDSA.

Stay tuned to Science Speaks 2019-nCoV coverage as developments and updates continue.

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