SARS-COV- 2 Pandemic: Evaluating Early Disease Response in Wuhan City, China

Abstract

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-COV-2). This virus probably originated from the seafood market in Wuhan City, China, in early December 2019. As of 10 May 2020, it has dispersed rapidly to roughly 200 countries, killing over 280, 000 out of over 4 million infected people worldwide. This article examines an early disease intervention from the onset of COVID-19 on 8 December 2019 to 23 January 2020 in China. Out of other reasons, this study argues that China apparently delayed intervention to COVID-19, and this might have enhanced its diffusion out of Wuhan city. By deploying data from WHO – China COVID-19 report and relevant articles, the study discovered that the inability of Wuhan authority to stop nearly half of its population emigrating for New Year Celebration apparently played a role in the dispersal of the new virus outside Wuhan City. Other studies had focused on the origin, clinical presentation and probable treatment of the new coronavirus. However, this study illuminates the significance of an early response and intervention in the control of epidemics. A focus on Wuhan, China affords us a rare privilege of gauging how first epidemic control could mitigate a full-blown pandemic.

Note: Funding: The author received no financial support for the research.

Declaration of Interest: I have no conflicting interest(s) to disclose regarding my preprint

Keywords: SARS-COV-2, COVID-19, China, Wuhan, pandemic, epidemic