Since the first case of coronavirus (also called Wuhan virus) was diagnosed, mass panic has spread across the globe.

Where there’s panic, there are internet trolls, and misinformation quickly spread about the origins of the virus and how it’s spread. It doesn’t help that China appeared to suppress crucial information in the early days of the outbreak.

At one point, people were blaming bat soup for the spread of the virus. A Chinese influencer capitalised on this one by posting a video where she eats a whole bat on Instagram.

Do yourself a favour and don’t watch that video. Influencers are the worst.

If you want to stay on the side of facts and verified information, researchers at Johns Hopkins University have created an interactive map that tracks and visualises reports about the coronavirus, using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organisation, China’s CDC, and other sources with geographic-information-system mapping.

Business Insider with more:

As reports come in, the map keeps track of the total confirmed cases, total deaths, and total recoveries. Each red dot represents an outbreak, with the size corresponding to the relative size of the outbreak.

Clicking on one shows the region’s information.

It’s changing constantly, so the data below is not a real-time reflection of recent data. This screengrab was captured at around 7:40AM. Click on the image to visit the map and see the latest stats:

Johns Hopkins

You can also click here for that live map.

There are no confirmed cases in South Africa, or the rest of Africa, although there are possible, suspected cases), at the moment.

The virus is spread through contact with carriers. If you’re travelling, you can protect yourself by avoiding contact with anyone who displays symptoms similar to those of pneumonia or the common cold.

You should also wash your hands frequently with soap and water, scrubbing for at least 20 seconds.

If you’re returning to South Africa from China, do the decent thing and go for a medical checkup as soon as you get home, especially if you feel a cold coming on.

Then keep an eye on that map, so that you don’t get overwhelmed by the barrage of false information out there.

[source:businessinsider]