A January 5 statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Committee adds very little to what we already knew. Excerpt:
Since December 31, 2019, our committee has carried out search and retrospective investigation of viral pneumonia cases of unknown cause in the city. As of 8:00 on January 5, 2020, a total of 59 patients with unexplained diagnosis of viral pneumonia were reported in our city, including 7 critically ill patients, and the remaining patients' overall vital signs were stable.
At present, all patients are being quarantined in Wuhan medical institutions. Treatment, no deaths. Among the 59 patients, the earliest onset of the case was December 12, 2019, and the latest onset was December 29; 163 close contacts have been followed up for medical observation, and the follow-up of close contacts is still in progress.
An epidemiological survey showed that some patients were operating households in Wuhan South China Seafood City (South China Seafood Wholesale Market). As of now, preliminary investigations have shown no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission and no medical staff infections. Respiratory pathogens such as influenza, avian influenza, adenovirus, infectious atypical pneumonia (SARS) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) have been excluded. Pathogen identification and cause tracing are still underway.
