The mysterious new strain of the coronavirus has penetrated Taiwan and the United States. International health organisations urge caution.

The News Lens
Date; 12020/01/22
By: Jeremy Van der Haegen

The new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that originated in Wuhan, China is likely to be the next global epidemic. It has infected 440 people and claimed nine lives so far.

In addition to Thailand, Japan, and South Korea, Taiwan and the United States had the first confirmed cases of the pneumonia-like virus this week. The Philippines quarantined a five-year-old Chinese boy in the city of Cebu, who tested positive for a still unidentified strain of coronavirus.

Fears have set in as hundreds of millions of Chinese will be traveling both domestically and internationally for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, as the World Health Organization raised the possibility of the virus being “sustained human-to-human transmission.”

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has announced a temporary ban on all tour groups from Wuhan today. She urged China to be “open and transparent” about updates on the outbreak and to share correct information with Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]