This week, Steve and Soumi discuss the new #Coronavirus, the threats of pandemics in a globalized world, and what countries can do to handle problems that are bigger than nations.

Buckle up cuz #pandemics can come at you fast! Observe what's happened in the last three weeks:

December 31: China tells the World Health Organization (#WHO) about concerning pneumonia-like cases in Wuhan—the hub of central China’s (population 8-ish million). A quarantine and search for the sickness’s origins begin.

January 1: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (#CDC) isolates the virus's origin to a Wuhan open-air livestock market; it’s promptly closed.

January 9: #WHO announces the sickness is new kind of coronavirus (like #SARS or #MERS). For now, it’s called #2019-nCov.

January 11: #2019-nCov claims its first life—a 61-year-old native of Wuhan; 41 Chinese diagnosed.

January 13: First #2019-nCov case reported in Thailand.

January 16: First #2019-nCov case reported in Japan.

January 17: Second #2019-nCov fatality reported. CDC starts screening Wuhan-passengers arriving into American airports (SFO, LAX, and JFK).

January 20: 3rd #2019-nCov fatality reported. 200+ cases reported in China. Chinese leaders publicly confirm that #2019-nCov is transmitting from person-to-person.Cases reported in #USA and #SouthKorea.

January 22: Airports around the world begin screening passengers arriving from Wuhan. The WHO weighs declaring a global health emergency.

January 23: China confirms 17 dead and 500+ cases. #LunarNewYear celebrations, China’s biggest holiday (January 25th), cancelled in several cities including Beijing. Travel in and out of Wuhan is severely restricted.

Additional reading:1. https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/21/health/wuhan-coronavirus-first-us-case-cdc-bn/index.html2. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-20/asian-stocks-poised-to-drift-oil-pares-gains-markets-wrap3. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/02/07/512634375/map-find-out-what-new-viruses-are-emerging-in-your-backyard4. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-virus-factbox/what-we-know-about-the-new-coronavirus-spreading-in-china-and-beyond-idUSKBN1ZM0C75. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-21/coronavirus-how-we-should-prepare-for-the-next-pandemic6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2636331/7. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/23/coronavirus-timeline-from-wuhan-to-washington-state