"It's an emerging disease and people are worried because we live in a globalized world," says Horcajada. This expert does not believe "impossible" that the coronavirus arrives in Spain, although he sees it as "unlikely" since Spain "does not have direct flights every day with Wuhan". "Even so, we are prepared to deal with this virus because we have powerful epidemiology and public health services and there is enough preparation to prevent its spread," concludes this expert.
Although the Spanish Ministry of Health said that the risk of introducing the new coronavirus into Spain is considered "very low," there are reasons to be alert:
-The health authorities link this virus to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), whose outbreak also started in China and in 2003 killed 813 people worldwide (646 of them, in China). Even so, the lethality rate (3%) of 2019-nCoV is lower than that of the SARS (10%).
-The virus has spread to other areas of China and has already reached other countries: cases have been detected in the US, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Nepal, Canada, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka.
-According to a report published by the research center at Imperial College, London, which advises institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of infected can approach 10,000 people.
However, the Ministry of Health, which is in constant contact with the autonomous communities, has developed a protocol for action in the event of a possible case of coronaviruses within the Spanish borders.
