Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) cases in Hong Kong and implications for further spread

Since Tang and colleagues commented on the current Wuhan novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak four weeks ago,1 the situation has worsened dramatically. As of today (1 February 2020), there have been an estimated 14,599 infected cases with a total of 305 deaths and 345 recovered involving 27 countries.2 Online estimate of the case fatality rate is about 2% with a R0 (basic reproductive number) value of 3-4, indicating that every positive case may give rise to further 3-4 new cases. Nearly all confirmed cases (14,422, 98.8%) are in the mainland China, with most of the remaining cases in nearby countries or cities in East Asia (Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau), Southeast Asia (Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam) and Australia accounting for the majority of the remaining cases.
Source: Journal of Infection - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research