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1 [1] (February 27, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/goveazv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Inforrinirg the legislive debate since 1914 Updated February 27, 2020 COVID-2019: Global Implications and Responses Overview As of February 27, 2020, the novel coronavirus first identified in patients in Wuhan, China, in early January 2020 had spread to over 45 countries, including the United States. Daily new cases reported outside China now exceed those reported in China. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern but has resisted labeling it a pandemic. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on February 26 that using the word pandemic could signal that we can no longer contain the virus, which is not true. WHO has named the new virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease that it causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Virus Coronaviruses are a large family of zoonotic viruses (viruses transmissible between animals and humans) that can cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most common symptoms among confirmed COVID-19 patients include fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. As of February 26, 2020, WHO reported more than 80,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases globally, including more than 2,700 deaths. All but 5% of the cases and 60 of the deaths were in mainland China, and over 80% of cases in mainland China were reported in Hubei Province, whose capital is Wuhan. Of confirmed COVID-19 patients in China, about 80% experienced only mild symptoms, 13% experienced severe symptoms, and 6% became critically ill. Outside mainland China, the jurisdictions with the highest reported caseloads were South Korea, Italy, Japan, and Iran. More than 700 cases have been detected from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, docked alongside Yokohama, Japan. In addition to China, the United States and Germany have confirmed community transmission of COVID-19, indicating the global response may need to move from a containment strategy to one of mitigation. Within days of Chinese scientists' sequencing the virus, scientists around the globe developed lab tests to diagnose COVID-19. Current diagnostic supplies are insufficient to meet global demand, however. While trying to increase supply of these tests, developers are also trying to create faster, cheaper, and more easily administered tests. No specific treatments or vaccines for COVID-19 exist. The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicated in late January that a candidate vaccine for COVID-19 could be ready for early-stage human testing within three months, compared to the 20 months it took to begin early-state development of an investigational SARS vaccine. Figure I. Locations with Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Globallv. as of Februarv 27. 2020 ource:coWorld Healt_...Organian~r ny in Jpanseteritra HeatCtermp. Source: 'World Health Organization and National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China. https://crsreports.congress.go,