Mortality Rate in Coronavirus Cases Jumps

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday reported the mortality rate for the coronavirus has jumped to 3.4 percent as the virus continues to spread worldwide at an alarming rate.

In comparison, WHO officials noted that the mortality rate is less than 1 percent for the flu.

Officials still believe that the spread of the virus can be stopped or at least slowed down.

The Coronavirus so far has claimed the lives of seven Americans and has infected at least 108 people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Worldwide, the coronavirus outbreak, which began in Wuhan, China in December of 2019, has infected 86,000 people and killed more than 3,000. As the virus has continued to infect people worldwide, experts have become increasingly worried that it will be impossible to contain.

Six people in Washington have died from the virus.

There are no known cases in Pasadena.

“We haven’t had any cases reported here in Pasadena,” Adrienne Kim of the Pasadena Public Health department said.

She attributes part of that to the department’s effort to educate the local population on how to avoid the virus.

“We tell the public to practice good hygiene by washing their hands as thoroughly as possible, clean and wipe down surfaces, avoid being around those who may be sick, and to stay home if they are sick as well.”

There are approximately 8,700 people who have self-quarantined themselves in California in an effort to determine whether or not they actually are carriers of the virus.

At least 45 cases have been reported in California, 26 of them being reported as close as the San Francisco Bay area.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the largest school district in California — with an enrollment of over 607,000 students, has devised a plan in case the virus becomes a problem for students.

To keep the parents and students informed the district has produced a video that showcases its efforts to keep the virus at bay.

The video focuses on how the virus has impacted everyday life within Los Angeles, how it’s transmitted and other facts on how to deal with it.

“At this time, there are no reported cases in the Los Angeles area,” Superintendent Austin Beutner says in the video.

The video also gives the standard hygiene warnings like, vigorous hand washing and staying away from others who are sick.

“The district is making plans in case students need to learn from home, or if the school year must be extended,”said Beutner.

Schools in Japan, Iran, Italy, Iraq and Vietnam have been closed.

“The problem with Novel Coronavirus is that we just don’t know as much about it, so the science isn’t there to support every strategy in our toolkit.” said Barbara Ferrer, director of L.A. County’s Public Health Department.

Although there have been cases of COVID-19 reported in northern California counties, the state is taking progressive measures in try to assist in slowing it down.

“The State of California is attempting to make detection of the illness faster through implementation of new tools that will be able to help.” Said Kim.

Only 70 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in the U.S. so far, yet government healthcare workers nationwide are already monitoring thousands of people who returned from affected countries or had close contact with people who were sick, while also holding regular discussions with hospitals, schools and businesses to prepare for the possibility of a pandemic.