WHO: China Can Handle Coronavirus

The coronavirus outbreak is putting China’s chronically overloaded health care system under enormous strain, The New York Times reports.

8 hospitals in Hubei province (which includes Wuhan) issued urgent appeals last week for medical equipment. Some medical staff “have resorted to cutting plastic folders to jury-rig goggles.” 
 
With no proven drugs for the virus, Chinese authorities have instructed doctors to prescribe a combination of traditional Chinese medicine and HIV antivirals.  

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remains confident that China can contain the rapidly spreading virus. He advised against evacuating travelers—though several countries are planning to do so, Reuters reports.
 
Some 4,000 African students in Wuhan have banded together to share updates. Many say they feel trapped but fear angering authorities and losing scholarships if they disobey protocol. South Africa has warned students not to leave without permission, AP reports.
 
Meanwhile, dozens of fact-checking organizations across 30 countries are fighting waves of misinformation and rumors on social media, according to thePoynter journalism institute.