Wuhan Shrimp Seller Identified As Patient Zero For Coronavirus

Coronavirus has now become a pandemic and the entire world is fighting it. It has paralyzed the global economy and many experts have predicted an economic slowdown.  The Wall Street Journal has now identified the patient zero of COVID-19 infection.

Patient zero

Wei Guixian, who has been identified as the patient zero of the coronavirus infection, is a 57-year-old shrimp seller. She is from Wuhan. Guixian is being called 'Patient zero' as she is one of the first patients who got infected by the virus. It is important to note that after a month-long treatment, she has fully recovered from the virus that has claimed thousands of lives.

It is also important to note that she may or may not be the first patient. Although she is identified as patient zero, there are chances that some other people might have got infected by the virus at the same time.

Read Also: India Inc Shows Support, Announces Support for Coronavirus Relief

Wei Guixian was selling shrimps at the Huanan Seafood Market on December 10 where she developed a cold. Like anyone else would have done, she assumed that she had caught the common flu. As reported by The Mirror, UK she went to a local clinic for treatment where the doctor gave her an injection for the common flu. Despite getting this injection, she continued feeling weak. Due to this, she visited Eleventh hospital in Wuhan a day later.

Even after visiting the hospital, the lack of energy and weakness continued. And when she didn't feel better, on December 16, she visited the biggest hospital in the region- Wuhan Union Hospital.

At the Union hospital, the doctors labelled Guixian's disease "ruthless" because they noticed several more cases from Huanan market. These cases too had similar symptoms. At the end of December, she was finally out under isolation. The doctors related the health emergence caused by the coronavirus with the seafood market.

Read Also: Staying positive during coronavirus: 10 things to do

The Chinese news outlet, The Paper said that this new coronavirus may become the fifth endemic coronavirus in humans. "Coronaviruses clearly have the ability to cross species boundaries and adapt to new hosts, which allows us to more directly predict more coronaviruses in the future." Post the coronavirus outbreak, China closed the live-market indefinitely.

Death-toll could be less if the government had acted sooner

Wei believes that she must have caught the disease because of the toilet that she shares with several other sellers in the market. In its statement, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission confirmed that Wei was one of the first 27 coronavirus patients. Out of these 27 patients, 24 including Wei had links with the same seafood market.

The world by far has recorded 752,830 cases out of which 36,230 people have lost their lives. India alone has recorded 1071 cases out of which 29 people have died. These numbers have been far worse in countries like Italy, Germany, Spain and the USA. These figures are increasing. The virus was first reported in a city called Wuhan in China. By far, scientists have not found any vaccine or medicine that can cure this virus. Ever since the pandemic broke out, scientists and researchers have been looking for the origin of this virus.

Read Also: Coronavirus: Meet The Woman Behind India’s First Testing Kit

Ayushi Aggarwal is an intern at SheThePeople.TV