Chongqing— "We should have a scientific understanding of the current novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, conduct effective measures, and avoid unnecessary panic," said Zhong Nanshan, a renowned Chinese respiratory scientist, in an interview with Xinhua News on February 2.

Chinese renowned respiratory scientist Zhong Nanshan. [Photo/Xinhua]

Partial research results about novel coronavirus outbreak

Currently, some research on the 2019-nCoV has been published, which has a particular significance for epidemic prevention and control.

• The study showed that the medium age of infected patients was 59 years, and 56 % of all patients were male, with an average incubation period of 5.2 days. Fever is still the typical symptom of patients with 2019-nCoV infection. Although there have been a few reported cases of infected patients that showed no obvious symptoms, they are in the minority, and the bulk of preventive efforts should focus on the majority of patients, according to Zhong Nanshan.
• The analysis of the genome of 2019-nCoV shows that it is 79.5% similar to SARS-CoV and 96% identical to bat-derived CoV, which supports that 2019-nCoV originated from bats, but whether there is a carrier between bats and humans requires further investigation.
• Zhong introduced that the damage of viruses to the body mainly has two aspects. One is the direct damage to the body cells caused by the virus. The second is the indirect immune damage caused by damaged cell tissues. If the immune response is too strong, it may lead to more serious damage to the body.

Early detection and quarantine are the most effective preventive measures

Zhong stressed the most effective preventive measures are still early detection and quarantine. "The epidemic is still at its growing phase, but we believe it won't lead to a massive nationwide pandemic, only regional ones if they occur."

Prolonging the Spring Festival holidays, controlling traffic, temperature checks, and education as well as other government measures have effectively cut off the source of infection and significantly reduced the spread of the virus, he said.

Seven drugs are in clinical trials

Although there is no effective cure yet, at least seven drugs are targeting the virus' genetic material going through various stages of clinical trials, Zhong told Xinhua News. A vaccine is also in the works, though it requires more time to reach a clinical application.

"We have learned from the successful therapy of SARS and established a set of effective treatment plans," he said. "And with the help of various life-support measures, we have ensured the recovery success rate of patients."

Epidemic control faces challenges

"We believe the epidemic will peak in the next 10 to 14 days, but we still need to enhance preventive measures and not lower our guard," he said, adding there are many challenges in the current effort.

The first is that the outbreak occurs in concentrated areas, stretching local medical resources thin. This situation may improve in the near future, as Wuhan is building two dedicated hospitals, and medical personnel and equipment are pouring in from around the country.

The second issue is how to differentiate between patients with the common flu and those infected with coronavirus, which can be a tricky task since both illnesses share symptoms. Local hospitals should improve their diagnostic capabilities to relieve some of the workloads from hospitals designated to treat the virus, he said.

The third issue is how to optimize management and resource allocation to better support hospitals and medical staff working on the frontline and protect them from infection.

Zhong said scientists still know relatively little about the novel coronavirus, and he urged them to speed up their research to help tackle the epidemic.

"The SARS epidemic 17 years ago lasted nearly six months, since then we have made considerable progress in preventing and controlling major infectious diseases, so we have the confidence to effectively curb today's outbreak."