Wuhan coronavirus has entered transmission stage among families and hospitals, taking it a step closer to full-blown community epidemic, Hong Kong expert warns
- Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, a top infectious diseases expert, says transmission of new coronavirus has entered its ‘third wave’
- Warning comes as Hong Kong University study suggests outbreak worse than officially reported, with virus already spreading to 20 mainland cities
The warning came as a study by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) estimated that the virus had already spread to 20 other mainland cities from Wuhan in Hubei province between January 1 and 17, suggesting the situation was worse than officially reported.
Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, a top infectious diseases expert at HKU, said the transmission of the coronavirus had entered its “third wave”.
“Now we can see infections of family members and in hospitals. What we are worried most about is a large outbreak in the community that may cause a situation like what we experienced during Sars,” Yuen said, referring to the severe acute respiratory syndrome pandemic of 2002-03.
“We are worried that the super-spreading event might have occurred already … we need to see if sustained human-to-human transmission has happened.”
The renowned microbiologist, just back in Hong Kong after a fact-finding trip to Wuhan, called for more measures to tackle the ballooning crisis and curb the spread of the virus.