Are we any closer to a vaccine? Five facts to know about the coronavirus

As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, there have been growing concerns over how dangerous the infection is and whether it will be designated as a pandemic.

The virus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has now spread to 48 different countries, according to The New York Times. The outbreak has infected more than 82,700 people and killed at least 2,809.

The first person-to-person transmission of the virus in the U.S. has been confirmed and the first U.S. death has been reported.

Here are five things to know.

1) Are healthy people at risk?

The highest risk appears to be to the elderly and people who are already sick.

A study from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention found that 80 percent of cases are “mild,” and that elderly and sick people are most at risk, according to the BBC.

There have been deaths of young doctors who were considered healthy, however, according to The Guardian.

Dr. Bharat Pankhania, an expert on communicable disease control at the University of Exeter Medical School in England, told The Guardian that it’s “not surprising” that healthy and young people have died, because the risk is “not zero for any demographic.”

“All of us are at risk, and hence the superlative efforts at keeping containment in place, and keeping the virus from circulating as much as we can do,” he told the outlet.

2) Is it considered a pandemic?

As of now, no. The World Health Organization said it’s too early to designate it as a pandemic but countries “should be in a phase of preparedness,” according to the BBC.

The WHO defines a pandemic as “the worldwide spread of a new disease.” An influenza pandemic is when “a new influenza virus emerges and spreads around the world, and most people do not have immunity.”

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the BBC: “For the moment we are not witnessing the uncontained global spread of this virus and we are not witnessing large scale severe disease or deaths. Does this virus have pandemic potential? Absolutely, it has. Are we there yet? From our assessment, not yet.”

3) How do you know whether you have coronavirus or the flu?

For people with mild cases, coronavirus “could be virtually indistinguishable from the common cold or seasonal flu” without testing, Dr. Jin Dongyan of the University of Kong Kong told The New York Times. Some people may not show any symptoms.

“Some of these patients, they just go unrecognized,” he said. “It could be just as small as a sore throat. Then one day, two days, it’s gone.”

The CDC lists flu symptoms as “fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and fatigue.”

Symptoms of coronavirus include “fever, cough, and shortness of breath,” according to the CDC.

4) What to do if you catch the coronavirus?

The CDC recommends that people who traveled to China and have a fever and respiratory illness symptoms, including shortness of breath and cough, should call a health care professional. If you’ve had contact with someone with these symptoms, you should also contact a health care professional, who will determine if you need to be tested for coronavirus.

If you’re already infected, the CDC recommends you stay home unless you’re seeking treatment, avoid contact with people and animals, tell your doctor you tested positive before going in for treatment, wear a face mask, cover sneezes and coughs, monitor symptoms, avoid sharing items, and clean your hands and “high-touch” surfaces.

5) Are we any closer to a vaccine?

The first potential vaccine has already arrived in the U.S.

Massachusetts drug manufacturer Moderna Inc. has sent a potential coronavirus vaccine to U.S. officials for testing, according to The Hill.

Results from the clinical trial are expected to arrive in July or August, the outlet reported.

Health experts say that the development of a vaccine won’t stop a pandemic.

“The development of a vaccine is not going to prevent a pandemic here,” Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told STAT.

This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Are we any closer to a vaccine? Five facts to know about the coronavirus."