TheBrief
Time March 16–23, 202003,6,9,12,JAN. 22 FEB. 1 10 20 MARCH 3
NOTE: DIAMOND PRINCESS CASES ARE INCLUDED IN ASIA UNTIL PATIENTS LEFT THE SHIP, AT WHICH POINT THEY ARE TALLIED WITH THEIR HOME CONTINENT. RUSSIA AND STATES IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION THAT STRADDLE EUROPE AND ASIA ARE TALLIED WITH ASIA. SOURCE: JOHNS HOPKINS CSSE; DATA THROUGH MARCH 3.
The coronavirus
beyond China
ASIA
9,EUROPE
3,OTHER
62NORTH
AMERICA
158COVID-19 has reached every
continent except Antarctica.
Some 13,000 cases—or
1 in 7 worldwide—are
outside mainland China
of countries, health and government agencies
around the globe have issued warnings about inter-
national travel. In the U.S., for example, the CDC
recommends people avoid nonessential travel to
China, Iran, South Korea and Italy. Several airlines
have already suspended or reduced service to virus
hot spots. David Abramson, a professor at New York
University’s School of Global Public Health, says
he thinks people should avoid traveling in the com-
ing weeks and months, especially if they feel unwell
or aren’t required to go anywhere. “This is a pretty
volatile time,” he says. “And by the time you travel,
it may look different. You can’t anticipate where the
cases are going to appear.” Still, the WHO has said
that curbing travel and trade is generally “ineffec-
tive” in stopping the spread of disease.
According to a notice from the organi-
zation, travel restrictions can “interrupt
needed aid and technical support” and
cause disruptions to affected countries’
economy.
Those traveling domestically are
advised to follow guidelines already
in place to ward off the virus. At home
or on the road, stay away from those
who appear to be sick, don’t touch
your face, and make sure to wash your
hands. —mahiTa gaJanan
Is a vaccine coming soon?
Not for at least a year. In the last week of Febru-
ary, Moderna Therapeutics, a biotech company
based in Cambridge, Mass., shipped the first vials
of its COVID-19 vaccine to the National Insti-
tute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID),
part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in
Bethesda, Md. NIAID is now readying the vaccine
for human testing as early as April. Moderna’s vac-
cine against COVID-19 was developed in rec ord
time—just 42 days after the genetic sequence of
SARS-CoV-2 was released by Chinese researchers
in mid-January.
Nearly as important in the fight against COVID-
19 are antivirals, drugs that can be administered
to those infected in order to limit the virus’ ability
to reproduce and spread to others. In late Febru-
ary, NIH scientists also began testing an antiviral
drug called remdesivir that had been developed for
Ebola; volunteers will be randomly assigned to re-
ceive either the drug or a placebo intravenously for
10 days, as doctors track the amount of virus in their
bodies. If the drug shows some efficacy in keeping
blood levels of SARS-CoV-2 from growing, it could
help contain the spread of the infection. —a. P.Will warm weather help?
President Donald Trump has floated the idea
that coronavirus might soon be nothing to worry
about, saying at a Feb. 10 rally that “in
theory, when it gets a little warmer, it
miraculously goes away.” Indonesian
officials have also suggested a warm
climate will protect their country. But
experts warn not to count on summer
as a solution.
There are several reasons flu and
cold tend to decline in the summer.
Humid weather can make it hard for
respiratory droplets to spread viruses,
and people spend less time in close
contact indoors. But those changes
may not do the trick with COVID-19.
We already know some other deadly members of
the coronavirus family don’t seem to be seasonal,
says Thomas Bollyky, director of the Global Health
Program at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Even if summer helps in the northern
hemisphere, the global south could then get
hit—and COVID-19 could come back north
when the weather changes again. “Policy-
makers and health officials should not
rely on warmer temperatures to save us
from COVID-19,” says Bollyky. “The
only things that can do that are public-
health preparedness and level-headed
policies.” —amy gunia‘This is a
pretty volatile
time. And by
the time you
travel, it may
look different.’
DAVID ABRAMSON,
New York University
School of Global
Public Health10