WHO Declares the Coronavirus Outbreak a Pandemic

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March 11, 2020

Dear Reader, The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic and the situation is expected to get worse, according to Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The virus, which probably originated in bats and is believed to have started infecting people late last year in Wuhan, China, will now likely spread to all countries around the world. One of our stories today delves into the race to uncover the identity and origin of the contagion, following a virologist known as China's "bat woman" for her virus-hunting expeditions in bat caves. For the latest updates on COVID-19, check out our Special Report. In other news, paleontologists have revealed what may be the smallest dinosaur of all time; taking delirium seriously can help prevent it in older hospitalized patients; and solar energy appears to be heading toward a global growth spurt.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Public Health WHO Declares the Coronavirus Outbreak a Pandemic The virus will likely spread to all countries on the globe, but actions can still limit its impact By Helen Branswell,Andrew Joseph,STAT

Public Health How China's "Bat Woman" Hunted Down Viruses from SARS to the New Coronavirus Wuhan-based virologist Shi Zhengli has identified dozens of deadly SARS-like viruses in bat caves, and she warns there are more out there By Jane Qiu

Mental Health It's Time to Take Delirium Seriously The most common complication of hospitalization for older patients can often be prevented By Claudia Wallis

Evolution Smallest Known Dinosaur Found in Amber A bird skull from Myanmar hints at a lost world of tiny fossils that are waiting to be unearthed By Riley Black

Energy Floating Panels Buoy Predictions of Global Solar Growth Spurt Solar panels floating in reservoirs and other water bodies could meet substantial energy demand By John Fialka,E&E News

Public Health Coronavirus Poses Unique Threat to U.S. Homeless Population Seattle's outbreak shows the challenges unhoused communities could face throughout the U.S. By Jen Monnier

FROM THE STORE Martin Gardner: Adventures in Flatland Celebrated mathematician Martin Gardner is your guide to the planar playground in this eBook collection. For 25 years in his Mathematical Games column, Gardner mixed well-understood topics with the cutting-edge, and here we've selected some of Gardner's best columns set in two dimensions, including games like Hex, geometric puzzles of transforming one shape to another, the physics of a two-dimensional world and more.

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FROM THE ARCHIVE What Is a Virus? Experts Struggle to Say Originally published in February 1957 | March 2020

QUOTE OF THE DAY "This is not just a public health crisis, it is a crisis that will touch every sector--so every sector and every individual must be involved in the fight." Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization

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