A department store in Tianjin became the hub of the Coronavirus, customers being checked

Many countries continue to be on high alert following the coronavirus breakout in China. Airlines have canceled flights to the country. The death toll in the Asian nation continues to climb. On Monday, officials confirmed that 1,016 people had died from the coronavirus, reports New York Times. The number of confirmed infections has risen to 42,638. As the country struggles to contain the disease, scientists have been trying to find out more about the virus.

This week, details about how fast the virus spreads have emerged.

Tianjin on high alert

In the Chinese city of Tianjin, located 70 miles southeast of Beijing, there have been 102 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. An interesting trend developed after 33 patients were linked to a department store in Baodi, a district within the city. The patients had traveled to the store over the last month. The department store has since been disinfected and Chinese health officials are tracking down all residents who may have visited the store over the last month. They have put out alerts in the media, and social media outlets, asking residents who may have visited the store to contact the nearest healthcare facility.

Officials estimate that over 11,700 customers may have visited the store in late January.

The Chinese government extends the Lunar Year holiday break due to Coronavirus

These new revelations come as workers prepare to go back to their jobs after the Lunar Year holiday break. The government had extended the holiday by three days hoping to avoid an increase in the rate of infection. Workers in the busy metropolitan hubs of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Shandong will return to work on Monday. There have also been 49 confirmed infections in Hong Kong. While the majority of the infections are in China, the World Health Organization says the disease poses a great threat to the rest of the world if it is not contained.

Speaking on Tuesday, the organization’s director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said they were monitoring the situation. “With 99 percent of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world.”

Coronavirus infections

Infections that have occurred outside of China have been quickly identified and the patients were immediately quarantined. A British businessman who was suspected to have spread the virus in Britain and France spoke for the first time on Tuesday. Steve Walsh contracted the virus in Singapore and later on traveled to France where he is may have infected several people while staying at a resort. His doctors have since released a statement saying that he had recovered from the virus.