Written by Tim Newman on February 27, 2020 – Fact checked by Jasmin Collier
This article provides regularly updated information on the COVID-19 outbreak, with links to useful resources.
The recent coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Now known as SARS-CoV-2, the virus has infected tens of thousands of people in many countries.
To keep you abreast of the changes, we will regularly be updating this article with breaking news and links to relevant research and opinion pieces.
To read our feature article answering some of the most common questions and concerns surrounding COVID-19, click here.
02/28/2020 16:01 GMT — Coronavirus reaches sub-Saharan Africa
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health announced the first case of COVID-19 in Nigeria. The patient arrived on a Turkish Airlines flight from Italy on February 24th.
Read more here.
02/28/2020 12:51 GMT — Scientists are investigating existing drugs in the search for coronavirus treatments
Denis Kainov, one of the authors of a new paper, explains, “Drug repurposing is a strategy for generating additional value from an existing drug by targeting diseases other than that for which it was originally intended.”
Read more here.
02/28/2020 11:21 GMT — Latest WHO report adds nine new member states to those that coronavirus has affected
According to the latest WHO update, in the last 24 hours, nine new member states have registered cases of COVID-19: Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Norway, Pakistan, Romania, and North Macedonia.
02/28/2020 10:11 GMT — Mainland China: Number of new coronavirus cases drops to lowest since January
On Thursday, mainland China had 327 new cases of coronavirus; this is the lowest number since January 23rd.
Read more here.
02/28/2020 09:05 GMT — WHO and World Tourism Organization release joint statement
The organizations call for combined efforts; they write, “International cooperation is vital for ensuring the sector can effectively contribute to the containment of COVID-19.”
Read the full briefing here.
02/27/2020 14:48 GMT — Healthline Media’s senior director of medical affairs provides some perspective
02/27/2020 11:34 GMT — The latest World Health Organization (WHO) report finds that the number of COVID-19 cases outside of China now exceeds the number of cases inside the country
02/26/2020 16:20 GMT — South America reports its first case of COVID-19
Brazil’s Ministry of Health announces the first case of COVID-19 in South America. The 61-year-old with the virus recently traveled to Italy, where there have been 324 cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths.
02/26/2020 15:17 GMT — There are now more than 80,000 cases of COVID-19 worldwide
02/26/2020 10:00 GMT — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that the United States must prepare for coronavirus spread
In a telebriefing, the CDC advised people in the U.S. to begin preparing for the possibility that coronavirus might spread within communities.
Read more about the recent briefing here.
02/24/2020 18:28 GMT — Woman with no symptoms transmits virus to five family members
A report in the journal JAMA describes a woman with SARS-CoV-2 who displayed no symptoms. This so-called asymptomatic carrier transmitted the infection to five other people.
Read more about the case study here.
02/21/2020 11:12 GMT — Experts condemn “rumors and misinformation”
A letter in The Lancet voices the concerns of 27 scientists. The group condemns the spread of conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19, outlining the harmful consequences of these rumors.
Read more about the paper here.
To read our feature article answering some of the most common questions and concerns regarding COVID-19, click here. For information on how to prevent the spread of coronavirus, this CDC pa