margarita25
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What a Party in Japan May Tell Us About the Coronavirus’s Spread
“Will the virus spiral beyond China? Public health experts are closely studying cluster cases in other Asian countries.”
Feb. 20, 2020
“Rain was falling on the night of Jan. 18, so the windows of the Tokyo party boat were shut. Inside were about 90 guests of a local taxi association who were celebrating the new year as the vessel floated down the Sumida River. Also on board, unbeknown to them, was a coronavirus capable of spreading ferociously.
It did just that. A driver in his 70s soon fell ill with fever; he later tested positive. The same day as his diagnosis, his mother-in-law died; she also was infected. Officials then discovered that 10 others from the boat were, too, including an employee who had served passengers from Wuhan, China. Still more who did not attend the party caught the virus after coming into contact with those who did.
As public health officials look for clues to one of the biggest uncertainties about the new coronavirus epidemic — whether it will eventually expand rapidly beyond its center in China — they are closely studying clusters of cases that have emerged recently in Japan.
The issue has taken on more urgency as passengers have begun walking off a contaminated cruise ship in Yokohama where 621 people have tested positive for the virus and two later died. Experts fear that some who were cleared to leave an onboard quarantine could later test positive, spreading infections on land in the same way that the party boat has done.
[...]
“Katsunobu Kato, Japan’s health minister, said the country had entered “another phase” in its fight against the coronavirus.
“Doctors at the medical institutes share the recognition that the numbers of infection cases will increase in the future and that it’s necessary to take firm measures,” he said at a news conference on Sunday. The government announced a $139 million package of urgent measures to contain the outbreak, including strengthening its testing and quarantining capacity.”
“Will the virus spiral beyond China? Public health experts are closely studying cluster cases in other Asian countries.”
Feb. 20, 2020
“Rain was falling on the night of Jan. 18, so the windows of the Tokyo party boat were shut. Inside were about 90 guests of a local taxi association who were celebrating the new year as the vessel floated down the Sumida River. Also on board, unbeknown to them, was a coronavirus capable of spreading ferociously.
It did just that. A driver in his 70s soon fell ill with fever; he later tested positive. The same day as his diagnosis, his mother-in-law died; she also was infected. Officials then discovered that 10 others from the boat were, too, including an employee who had served passengers from Wuhan, China. Still more who did not attend the party caught the virus after coming into contact with those who did.
As public health officials look for clues to one of the biggest uncertainties about the new coronavirus epidemic — whether it will eventually expand rapidly beyond its center in China — they are closely studying clusters of cases that have emerged recently in Japan.
The issue has taken on more urgency as passengers have begun walking off a contaminated cruise ship in Yokohama where 621 people have tested positive for the virus and two later died. Experts fear that some who were cleared to leave an onboard quarantine could later test positive, spreading infections on land in the same way that the party boat has done.
[...]
“Katsunobu Kato, Japan’s health minister, said the country had entered “another phase” in its fight against the coronavirus.
“Doctors at the medical institutes share the recognition that the numbers of infection cases will increase in the future and that it’s necessary to take firm measures,” he said at a news conference on Sunday. The government announced a $139 million package of urgent measures to contain the outbreak, including strengthening its testing and quarantining capacity.”