"A time to prepare" - 5 things to know about coronavirus today

Mar 10, 2020

A person walks at Torino Porta Susa railway station, after a decree orders for the whole of Italy to be on lockdown in an unprecedented clampdown aimed at beating the coronavirus, in Turin, Italy, March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Massimo Pinca - RC23HF9M0PN9

A person walks at Torino Porta Susa railway station after a decree orders the whole of Italy to be on lockdown in an unprecedented clampdown aimed at beating the coronavirus, in Turin, Italy, March 10, 2020. Image: REUTERS/Massimo Pinca - RC23HF9M0PN9

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Coronavirus continues to spread across the globe. In this new daily update, we’ve assembled some of the latest headlines, resources and stories to help you arm yourself with the best information.

1. COVID-19’s spread could continue into next year - but there's reason to hope

A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) official yesterday said many people could likely contract the virus, but many cases won't likely be severe. As the official explained, 80% of the thousands of cases in China so far, have been mild. Additionally, many efforts have been taken to slow the spread of the virus.

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“This is a time for people to prepare."

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— Nancy Messonnier, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases

For an interactive graphic of the spread, click here

2. New cases have been reported - but so have recoveries

116,558: Reported cases of coronavirus
62,496 - Number of people around the world who have recovered from the virus
4 - Number of countries with more than 90% of all reported coronavirus cases

Data from time of publication. For more stats, refer to Johns Hopkins’ Coronavirus Resource Center

Soccer Football - Champions League - FC Barcelona announce that their round of 16 second leg match versus Napoli will be played behind closed doors - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - March 10, 2020 Chinese student Gao Jia Xin wears a mask outside the Camp Nou after FC Barcelona announced that their round of 16 second leg match versus Napoli will be played behind closed doors while the number of coronavirus cases grow around the world REUTERS/Nacho Doce - RC22HF9J1VCR

To help control the virus, FC Barcelona announced that their round of 16 second leg match versus Napoli will be played behind closed doors. Image: REUTERS/Nacho Doce

3. It's hard to stop touching our faces - and this graphic shows why
Academics in New South Wales, Australia, trained a camera on students during a lecture, discovered their hands found their way unconsciously to their faces an average of 23 times an hour. Read more here.

Average number of face touches observed in a 60-minute period. Image: American Journal of Infection Control

4. History alone won't help us fight coronavirus

Past epidemics can't be our only guide for this disease, says one recent piece from the Lancet. Contemporary diseases emerge in new and different ways and experts need to be aware that just looking for how this epidemic is similar to past outbreaks could create blindspots.

5. There's a right way - and a wrong way - to kill the virus.

Alcohol can disinfect surfaces but it can't kill a virus that has entered your body. Image: WHO

For more information, visit the World Health Organization coronavirus page.

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