The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the outbreak of 2019-nCoV, a novel strain of coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, a global health emergency. In the last three weeks, the number of confirmed cases has risen from about 50 in China to nearly 25,000 in 25 countries. Administration officials here in the United States have taken proactive measures to declare this a public health emergency and have helped educate the public about the risks associated with the virus.
Global experts are working to expeditiously expand understanding of the virus, but we currently know coronavirus can be transmitted from person to person, usually after close contact with an infected patient. The symptoms can include mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough and difficulty breathing.
Although much remains unknown about the virus, the biopharmaceutical industry is working in partnership with public health leaders worldwide to combat this public health crisis. We are currently gathering important information on the effort. Researchers are committed to sharing scientific knowledge, insights and resources to identify effective diagnostics and treatments as well as prevent the further spread of the virus. These efforts represent not only the efficacy of new scientific tools, like improved data-sharing, but also the global spirit of collaboration in the face of a public health emergency.
The biopharmaceutical industry is committed to finding solutions for patients with the coronavirus and we will continue to provide updates on the response to the outbreak. For more information, learn more about the virus from these resources:
