Coronavirus Update: March 6, 2020

As of today, there are >100,000 confirmed cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) across the world, including 231 confirmed cases in the United States and 49 in California. The number increases hourly, and as a result, CROI 2020, the world's largest HIV conference, has been cancelled and will be held virtually.

There is still a shortage of tests for the novel coronavirus in the United States, which is why testing recommendations have not changed yet. From other countries around the world where much more testing is being conducted, there are indications that the mortality rate may not be as high as originally thought: Germany has now diagnosed 674 COVID-19 cases and has not observed a single death associated with COVID-19. Mortality rates were also below 1/100 in South Korea, where more than 140,000 people have been tested for the novel Coronavirus, 6,300 cases have been diagnosed, and 42 deaths were observed.

We will be back with more updates next week, and the newest information can always be found on the CDC webpage: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

This update was prepared by Dr. Martin Hoenigl and Dr. Susan Little of the UC San Diego Antiviral Research Center.