China’s doctors fear the coronavirus may be mutating in a manner that could drastically increase infections and make spreading harder to contain.
Bloomberg reported today that Chinese doctors are seeing a concerning, new behavior in coronavirus infections. A new cluster of cases on the northeast region suggest the pathogen may be changing in ways that could complicate efforts to stamp it out. Patients in the northern provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang are carrying the virus for extended periods before showing symptoms. The asymptomatic behavior seen with coronavirus is believed to be one of the reason the virus spreads so easily. Qiu Haibo, one of China's top critical care doctors said on state television: "Patients in the northeast also appear to be taking longer than the one to two weeks observed in Wuhan to develop symptoms after infection, and this delayed onset is making it harder for authorities to catch cases