How dangerous is the Coronavirus from Wuhan, China

By Louis Cassini, Foxnews

The coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, began at an animal and seafood market in the city of Wuhan and has since spread to several other countries, including the United States. The illness is now said to be transferable between humans.

As news of the virus spread and death tolls began to spike, many have begun to question how dangerous the new outbreak is. Coronaviruses, which get their name from their crown-like appearance, come in many types that cause illnesses in people and animals.

Most coronaviruses cause mild symptoms such as the common cold that patients easily recover from. Other strains of the virus such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) can cause pneumonia and possible death.

SARS killed 770 of 8,000 people infected in 2002-2003. MERS killed about three or four out of every 10 people infected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

In an effort to curb the spread of the disease, the city of Wuhan shut down all air and train traffic to contain it. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday convened an emergency meeting to debate how to address the outbreak, including the possiblity of declaring a public health emergency.

"The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted.

Ghebreyesus said the committee needed another day to discuss the issue and come to a decision.

The CDC said it was monitoring the situation and, for now, "the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV to the general American public is considered low at this time."

The patients infected in China experienced mild symptoms and have been discharged from hospitals, the CDC said. Investigations to learn more about the coronavirus is ongoing, the agency said.

"Investigations into this novel coronavirus are ongoing and we are monitoring and responding to this evolving situation,” said Martin Cetron, director of the CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine.

The first case reported in the U.S. came on Tuesday, when federal health officials said a man in Seattle, Wash., who recently traveled to Wuhan had been infected. He is in stable condition and poses "very little risk" to medical staff and the public, officials said.

Human coronaviruses are passed through coughing and sneezing, close personal contact, touching objects with the virus on it and then touching the mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands, according to the CDC.