Then and now: SARS vs. Coronavirus

The inevitable happened on Thursday – the World Health Organization finally declared the coronavirus an official global emergency. That formal declaration comes as worry and even hysteria about the epidemic is spreading rapidly across the world, including here in Canada. Today in The Conversation Canada, we have two informative pieces about the coronavirus.

Jason Kindrachuk of the University of Manitoba, a Canada Research Chair in emerging viruses, and Alyson Kelvin of the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology at Dalhousie University look at how social media has changed – for better and worse – the world’s reaction to this epidemic compared to the SARS outbreak in 2003. And Yvonne Su of the University of Guelph looks at how residents of Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, are keeping each other strong as the city of 11 million has essentially been shut down.

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Scott White

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Medical workers talk with a woman suspected of being ill with a coronavirus at a community health station in Wuhan, China, in January 2020. Chinatopix via AP

How social media is changing research and reactions to coronavirus outbreak

Jason Kindrachuk, University of Manitoba; Alyson Kelvin, Dalhousie University

Social media has allowed researchers around the world to collaborate and co-ordinate their efforts to fight the outbreak and contain its spread.

Because of the coronavirus, most pictures of people in Wuhan are in protective gear and masks like this one of people buying face masks on Jan. 22. Recent chants by residents of ‘stay strong Wuhan’ help to both encourage and humanize residents. AP Photo/Dake Kang

Coronavirus in Wuhan: Residents shout ‘stay strong’ from windows

Yvonne Su, University of Guelph

During a crisis, communities seek to come together. But quarantined residents of Wuhan at the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic have had to show their encouragement in a different way.

The Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) is a research facility designed to simulate conditions on Mars. (Olave Krigolson)

Your brain on Mars: How scientists will track astronauts’ mental performance on missions

Olave Krigolson, University of Victoria

In preparation for possible future missions to Mars, scientists figure out how to quickly and efficiently measure brain performance and mental fatigue.

Vancouver has become a money-laundering haven. Can a public inquiry find solutions? Mike Benna/Unsplash

Why money laundering thrives on Canada’s West Coast

Robert Diab, Thompson Rivers University

A public inquiry into money laundering underway in British Columbia holds out hope for reform, but the problems run deep.

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