Prognosis
Coronavirus Could Infect Two-Thirds of Globe, Research Shows
- Disease scientist bases estimate on transmissibility of virus
- WHO has said China quarantines provide a ‘window’ to prepare
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As the number of coronavirus cases jumps dramatically in China, a top infectious-disease scientist warns that things could get far worse: Two-thirds of the world’s population could catch it.
So says Ira Longini, an adviser to the World Health Organization who tracked studies of the virus’s transmissibility in China. His estimate implies that there could eventually be billions more infections than the current official tally of about 60,000.