COVID-19: Coverage of the pandemic from MPR News

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Passengers walk along the deck of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, on which about 3,600 people have been quarantined because of fears of the new COVID-19 coronavirus.

U.S. to evacuate Americans from quarantined cruise ship in Japan

February 15, 2020 10:20 AM

By The Associated Press and Wynne Davis

The State Department informed U.S. citizens aboard the quarantined ship that it would send a charter plane to remove them. This comes as 67 more COVID-19 cases were identified on the ship.

A doctor wearing a face mask looks at a CT image of a lung of a patient at a hospital in Wuhan, China.

How COVID-19 kills: The new coronavirus disease can take a deadly turn

February 14, 2020 12:07 PM

Most cases of the illness are characterized as mild, with symptoms similar to those of a common cold or the flu. But there have been over 1,300 deaths.

Where should you sit on a plane to reduce the risk of exposure to germs spread by infectious passengers?

How not to get sick on a plane: A guide to avoiding pathogens

February 13, 2020 9:43 AM

By Michaeleen Doucleff and Pien Huang

Here are recommendations from researchers on how to stave off infectious diseases such as the common cold and the flu during a flight.

A man wearing a face mask has his temperature checked before entering a community hospital in Shanghai on Thursday. China's official death toll and infection numbers from the deadly COVID-19 coronavirus spiked dramatically on Thursday after authorities changed their counting methods.

A change in how 1 Chinese province reports coronavirus adds thousands of cases

February 13, 2020 5:11 AM

By Scott Neuman and Emily Feng

Hubei province has added "clinical cases" to the count — patients who exhibit all the symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, but have either not been tested or tested negative.

Quarantine workers in protective suits check identity documents.

If new virus gets here, health systems say they’re prepared

February 12, 2020 5:01 PM

A state health expert says responding to infectious diseases is “our bread and butter.”

Paul McKay, a molecular immunologist at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London, checks a dish of bacteria containing genetic material from the new coronavirus. He and his team are testing a candidate vaccine.

Timetable for a vaccine against COVID-19? Maybe this fall

February 12, 2020 9:00 AM

Recent advances in biotech make scientists optimistic that they might have a vaccine that has passed basic tests of human safety and efficacy ready to go to clinics as soon as this fall.

Medical workers in protective suits tend to coronavirus patients at the intensive care unit of a hospital in Wuhan, China.

There's no specific drug that kills coronavirus. But doctors have ways to treat it

February 11, 2020 6:53 PM

By Richard Harris

They're testing some drugs developed for other diseases. And they're offering supportive care — doing whatever's possible to keep vital organ systems functioning.

This illustration provided by the CDC.

New coronavirus disease officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization

February 11, 2020 11:17 AM

By Elena Renken and Brett Dahlberg

The disease first identified in China in late 2019 was previously called "2019-nCoV."

A surgical mask and an N95 respirator. Officials in China are urging citizens to wear masks in public to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But can a mask really keep you from catching the virus?

Face masks: What doctors say about their role in containing coronavirus

January 29, 2020 1:03 PM

Can a mask really keep you from catching the virus? To answer that, it helps to clarify which kinds of masks we're talking about.

A man, a woman and two young girls pose for a portrait.

Coronavirus may extend Minneapolis man’s China visit

January 28, 2020 2:28 PM

By Brandt Williams

Yulin Yin traveled to his hometown to visit his family and friends. Now his wife doesn’t know how long he’ll have to stay there.