The coronavirus outbreak: the central role of primary care in emergency preparedness and response

Abstract

On the last day of 2019, a cluster of cases of a pneumonia with unknown cause were reported by\nthe Chinese authorities to the World Health Organization (WHO), believed to be connected to a\nseafood market in Wuhan, China. This market was closed the following day. On 7 January 2020, a\nnovel coronavirus was isolated, and known pathogens were ruled out.1\nCoronaviruses usually cause respiratory illness ranging from the common cold to severe acute\nrespiratory syndrome (SARS). Clinical symptoms and signs of the Wuhan coronavirus include fever,\nwith some sufferers experiencing difficulty breathing and bilateral pulmonary infiltrates seen on chest\nX-ray. WHO are referring to it as ‘2019-nCov’.\nAt the time of writing, there have been over 4,500 confirmed cases and 106 deaths, including\namong healthcare workers. Over 98% of these cases are within mainland China, but cases have also\nbeen confirmed in tens of other countries.