China’s newest threat – A deadly holiday-boosted coronavirus

At an emergency meeting today, the World Health Organization will consider the danger posed by a deadly new Chinese respiratory virus believed to be spread through the air from humans to humans, as well as via contact with infected animals. Unfortunately, WHO’s deliberations – and efforts actually to control the spread of this coronavirus – will soon be overtaken by the Lunar New Year, a holiday that sees hundreds of millions of people moving throughout Asia and beyond, mostly in the close quarters of planes, trains and buses.

Making matters worse is the Chinese Communist Party’s well-established practice of lying about such public health emergencies. It says there’s nothing to worry about.

The first case of China’s new bug – which is similar to its  previous highly contagious SARS and MERS diseases – has shown up in Washington State. We better brace ourselves for many more. 

This is Frank Gaffney.