Novel Coronavirus Update – Video #13

February 12, 2020

While the numbers of deaths and diagnoses continue to rise, we’re also seeing a solid increase in the number of “recoveries” from the novel coronavirus, as predicted. Learn more in our latest video on the epidemic.

Dr. Li and the Novel Coronavirus

Dr. Li, who passed away last week, is credited as one of the original doctors to recognize the novel coronavirus outbreak and issue early warnings to the Chinese population despite backlash from authorities in China. His course of infection represents a unique case, in which the timeline of symptoms, diagnosis, decline, and death was more drawn out than what we’ve typically seen.

We send our condolences to Dr. Li’s family, friends, and colleagues, as well as the loved ones of all people affected by the novel coronavirus outbreak. We also want to thank our larger community of medical professionals for their tireless efforts to treat, research, and educate others.

Coronavirus Update Dashboards

In previous videos, we introduced two different dashboards for tracking the latest statistics on the novel coronavirus outbreak: Worldometer and this one from Johns Hopkins. In our 13th video update, Dr. Seheult looks at Worldometer and bar graphs on daily new cases and the growth factor of daily new cases, which has teetered above and below 1 over the past week.

Coronavirus and the Flu – A Comparison

Dr. Seheult talks about influenza statistics to help put the novel coronavirus numbers into perspective. This flu season, over 19 million people have been infected and 10,000 have died. Of course, influenza and the novel coronavirus represent different viruses with completely different rates of spread, fatality, and so on. It’s difficult to make direct comparisons, but it is important to keep in mind that preventative measures — such as hand washing, wearing masks, etc. — help mitigate the risk of contracting all viral infections.

nCoV Cases in Canada and Vancouver

A string of nCoV diagnoses in Canada represent the first person-to-person transmissions in the country. Interestingly, this also provides anecdotal evidence for the correlation of age and symptom severity, with relatively younger folks exhibiting milder symptoms than those who are older or in poorer initial health.

Stay Tuned for More Updates

We’ll have more videos for you this week, so stay tuned as they become available. Meanwhile, check out our website and YouTube page for previous coronavirus updates and lectures on all sorts of valuable medical information.