Expert: Washington ‘potentially on cusp of Wuhan 2.0’ with coronavirus
BY GEE AND URSULA SHOW - MYNorthwest.com
Epidemiologist Dr. Eric Ding spoke with KIRO Radio’s Gee and Ursula Show, stressing the need for massively increased safety measures in Washington state.
“I think the Seattle area in Washington state is potentially on the cusp off being a Wuhan 2.0,” cautioned Dr. Ding, epidemiologist, health economist, and nutrition scientist at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.
Dr. Ding worries that the state is following a similar pattern to how coronavirus was first handled in Wuhan, China, where the country was slow to ramp up testing and containment.
He went on to note that the possibility of shutting down large events like Emerald City Comic Con in downtown Seattle should be something under “urgent consideration.” The yearly convention brought in 98,000 people in 2019, and plans to go forward as scheduled this year. However, tickets are refundable.
“This is where the difference between us becoming a runaway epidemic and a contained epidemic is social distancing,” he noted.
In terms of tracking the virus, UW Medicine is increasing its capacity to handle 1,000 tests a day. But even that, Ding warns, may not be sufficient.
“One-thousand tests per day is a good start, but it’s nothing like what they’re doing in South Korea,” Dr. Ding described. “The key to stopping an epidemic is contact tracing, and finding those infected as soon as possible, not three or four weeks after the fact, like the first few cases [in Washington].”
Washington state health officials announced Thursday that the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Washington has ballooned to 70 people. That includes 51 in King County, 18 in Snohomish County, and the first case in Grant County.
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Originally Posted by Godfather
