Coronavirus more contagious than flu, less deadly The new strain of coronavirus, now formally named COVID-19, is “a lot more contagious” than the flu, according to AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot. “What we have all learned is that the virus leads to a lower mortality than the flu virus, but it’s a lot more contagious, the virus is very contagious,” Soriot told CNBC. At least 19 … [Read more...]

Coronavirus cases spike in China; death toll over 1,300, caseload over 60,000 Doctors in China have adopted a new way of diagnosing the novel coronavirus, leading to a spike of 23% in confirmed cases and a jump in the number of deaths blamed on the virus. China previously only counted a coronavirus case as confirmed when a person tested positively for the virus, but the … [Read more...]

Medtronic commits over $1M to coronavirus efforts Medtronic (Dublin, Ireland) and the Medtronic Foundation are committing approximately $1.2 million to coronavirus relief efforts worldwide. These encompass Medtronic Foundation cash contributions and product donations from the company. The foundation is partnering with cash contributions to the International Federation of Red … [Read more...]

Coronavirus death toll surpasses 1,000 in mainland China Monday saw the largest single-day death toll yet in mainland China as 108 people died, bringing the total to more than 1,000 deaths. More cases were identified, bringing that total to 42,638 in mainland China. Meanwhile, two senior health officials in the Chinese province of Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, have … [Read more...]

Hospitals stockpile supplies amid coronavirus-related mask shortage; Schein makes statement The coronavirus has fueled fears of a shortage of key protective medical devices, namely the specialized N95 respirator masks that are needed to protect health workers treating infectious patients. The CDC recommends that medical employees working with coronavirus patients wear N95 … [Read more...]

Coronavirus whistleblower dies from outbreak he warned of The 34-year-old Chinese doctor who was reprimanded after warning in December about the then-unidentified virus has died of it. Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist in Wuhan, warned medical school classmates about evidence of a new virus in an online forum on Dec. 30, and Chinese authorities later forced him to declare that … [Read more...]

Terumo responds to the novel coronavirus outbreak in China Terumo Corporation shared the latest information on its business operation and response in China, regarding the current outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). In China, Terumo currently has 19 business locations (including three factories), in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. As of February 4, were no … [Read more...]

FDA enables emergency use of CDC’s 2019-nCoV Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel test for coronavirus The FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to enable emergency use of the CDC’s 2019-nCoV Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel. To date, the test has been limited to use at CDC laboratories. The authorization allows the use of the test at any CDC-qualified lab across the … [Read more...]

Coronavirus not yet pandemic according to World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the coronavirus outbreak that has spread from China does not yet constitute a pandemic. Three more Asian countries – Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand – have confirmed infections among citizens who had not traveled to China. Officials say 425 people have died in … [Read more...]