We are providing free access to the most important news and useful guidance on the coronavirus outbreak to help readers understand the pandemic. The articles on this page are available if you have a New York Times account.
The Coronavirus Briefing is an informed guide to the global outbreak, with the latest developments and expert advice about prevention and treatment.
Confirmed cases
10
100
1,0001K
Cases
Deaths
New cases
China Avoid travel
80,976
3,193
Jan. 22
Mar. 10
Italy Avoid travel
21,157
1,441
Iran Avoid travel
12,729
611
S. Korea Avoid travel
8,086
72
Spain Avoid travel
5,753
136
France Avoid travel
4,499
91
Germany Avoid travel
3,062
5
U.S.
2,443
50
Japan
1,442
27
Switzerland Avoid travel
1,359
13
Notes: Japan’s count includes 696 cases and six deaths from a cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama. France and the U.S. figures include overseas territories. China figures only include mainland China.
How to Protect Yourself and Prepare for the Coronavirus
It is a novel virus named for the crownlike spikes that protrude from its surface. The coronavirus can infect both animals and people and can cause a range of respiratory illnesses from the common cold to lung lesions and pneumonia.
It seems to spread very easily from person to person, especially in homes, hospitals and other confined spaces. The pathogen can travel through the air, enveloped in tiny respiratory droplets that are produced when a sick person breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes.
The virus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has sickened more than 152,000 in at least 125 countries and more than 5,700 have died. The spread has slowed in China but is gaining speed in Europe and the United States. World Health Organization officials said the outbreak qualifies as a pandemic.
Symptoms, which can take between two to 14 days to appear, include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Milder cases may resemble the flu or a bad cold, but people may be able to pass on the virus even before they develop symptoms.
The State Department has issued a global Level 3 health advisory telling United States citizens to “reconsider travel” to all countries because of the worldwide effects of the coronavirus. This is the department’s second-highest advisory.
Several drugs arebeing tested, and some initial findings are expected soon. A vaccine to stop the spread is still at least a year away.
The World Health Organization is supposed to coordinate the global response to epidemics. But the U.N. agency cannot force countries to play by international rules.
