The number of coronavirus infections in China has now eclipsed the number of people who were infected with SARS.
The total number of Chinese infections rose to almost 6,000 on Wednesday, a number that surpassed the 2002-03 SARS outbreak, which resulted in 5,327 cases and 349 deaths. SARS, which stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome, was a virus that also began in China and spread across the globe.
Coronavirus, a burgeoning respiratory illness that originated in Wuhan, China, has infected 6,065 people worldwide. All but 68 of those infected were identified in mainland China, although the rapid spread of the virus, which increased by almost 1,500 patients from Tuesday to Wednesday, has placed countries across the world on high alert.
China agreed to let the World Health Organization begin sending experts to the country to help with the outbreak. The United States flew 210 citizens out of Wuhan on a chartered flight that included extensive screening.
Sen. Tom Cotton has called the Trump administration to issue a “targeted travel ban” to help stop the spread of the virus. The Arkansas Republican said the U.S. should halt all flights to China because of the growing threat.
Concern for a global outbreak has increased after doctors in Germany, Japan, and Vietnam confirmed that the virus has been spreading to patients who have never traveled to Wuhan, indicating person-to-person transmission outside of the Chinese mainland.
The U.S. has confirmed five cases of the virus, all from people who recently traveled to Wuhan.
