As of 11:30 a.m., Feb. 5, there are 24,631 confirmed coronavirus cases and 494 related deaths. Worldwide, 1,029 people have recovered from the illness.
1. Coronavirus may be more contagious than data shows, experts say, according to CNBC. It is currently estimated that about 2.2 people will get sick from each infected person, scientists say. Researchers worry the illness has mutated to adapt to human hosts much faster than SARS. Some experts say it will take weeks to know how contagious the sickness is since data has changed daily.
2. Five hospital workers in San Jose, Calif., were exposed to coronavirus, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The healthcare workers at Good Samaritan Hospital were exposed while treating a patient who later tested positive for coronavirus. The workers were sent home and are to remain in isolation until Feb. 11.
3. Coronavirus is here to stay; expect seasonal outbreaks, Amesh Adalja, MD, a senior scholar and physician at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins, told CNBC. Dr. Adalja said the new respiratory infection will likely cause yearly outbreaks, with most cases mild and "flu-like." He added, however, that the assumption should be that containment of the coronavirus will fail in the U.S. Currently, there are 11 confirmed cases nationwide, according to the CDC.
4. A study that said coronavirus can spread before symptoms appear was flawed, CNN reports. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested patients could be infectious even if they did not present symptoms. However, new reports found that the patient studied actually exhibited mild symptoms before spreading the virus.
5. At least a dozen vaccines are being developed to combat coronavirus as of Jan. 30, BioCentury reports.
6. The CDC released new infection control guidelines for treating coronavirus in healthcare settings. The agency advises adhering to standard contact and airborne precautions, managing visitor access and movement, and monitoring exposed and ill healthcare personnel. The guidelines also include suggestions to minimize the chance of exposure.
7. The U.S. is already seeing racial and political repercussions of the outbreak, The Verge reports. Many users on social media have blamed Chinese people for creating and spreading the virus. President Donald Trump temporarily suspended entry into the U.S. for foreign nationals who have traveled to China in the past 14 days, in opposition to the World Health Organization's recommendations that discourage travel and trade bans.
Click here for a national and global comparison between flu and coronavirus cases.