At least 62,000 people have recovered from coronavirus so far

At CNN’s ongoing coronavirus town hall, a viewer asked: How many people worldwide have recovered from the coronavirus?

The quick answer is, at least 60,000, said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious diseases epidemiologist with the World Health Organization (WHO) — citing a figure from earlier in the week.

It has since risen; China’s National Health Commission said on Wednesday that 62,793 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospital.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown as of March 11:

• There are more than 125,000 cases globally, according to the WHO.
• About 80% of all patients in China had a “mild form of the disease,” said Van Kerkhove — meaning they may feel unwell for a week or two.
• About 20% will require advanced care in hospital, and may need more serious measures like respiratory support.
• Then, a small portion of people will die. According to a report in the medical journal JAMA, the fatality rate in China is about 2.3%.

WHO official says novel coronavirus is “relatively stable”

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious diseases epidemiologist with the World Health Organization, said the virus was “relatively stable” during CNN’s Global Town Hall, “Coronavirus: Facts and Fears,” on Thursday.

“We know that there are different groupings of these viruses,” Van Kerkhove said in response to a question about an earlier study identifying separate strains of the coronavirus.

“There’s no indication that there are differences in terms of virulence based on those different groupings.”

“There are normal changes that happen in a virus over time, but this virus is relatively stable,” Van Kerkhove said.

Infectious disease expert stresses that coronavirus quarantine must be humane

There is a balance between making sure someone with coronavirus is quarantined but does not feel completely isolated, according to Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious diseases epidemiologist with the World Health Organization.

Van Kerkhove addressed this nuance tonight during CNN’s coronavirus town hall which was prompted by a question from Dr. Sanjay Gupta on how countries can strike a balance between protecting health and minimizing social disruption and respecting human rights.

The first step, Van Kerkhove claims, is making sure all coronavirus cases are identified. The next, is simply caring for people, she said.

“Making sure they get the right standard of care either in hospital and, as you know, not everybody will require hospitalization. Some people will develop severe disease.

“It’s important to get the right care,” Van Kerkhove said. “Make sure contacts are isolated, are in quarantine. So that we remove them from other people so they don’t pass it on.

“If you do that, you have to make sure they’re cared for as well. And have the right information. They have food and have medical care.

“That they can still reach loved ones. There is a balance between separating people and making sure we don’t pass the virus between people. But make them feel connected with loved ones.”