Coronavirus Outbreak

Last week, the number of confirmed Coronavirus cases saw a sudden increase when Chinese officials broadened the way infections are defined. COVID-19, otherwise known as the Coronavirus, originated in China’s Hubei province and, as of the publishing of this Lecture Spark, has infected more than 69,000 people worldwide.

Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.

Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for Coronavirus Outbreak

Links

“Coronavirus: Beijing orders 14-day quarantine for returnees”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51509248

“How Patients Die After Contracting COVID-19”
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/14/805289669/how-covid-19-kills-the-new-coronavirus-disease-can-take-a-deadly-turn

“What happens if you catch the new coronavirus?”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/infected-coronavirus-200210205212755.html

“Coronavirus: Death toll in China surges past 1,500”
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3876569

“World Health Organization under scrutiny as it walks China tightrope over coronavirus”
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/14/asia/coronavirus-who-china-intl-hnk/index.html

“Chinese “novel remedies” for economy evolve as virus outbreak bites”
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-02/14/c_138783907.htm

“Heroes and villains: Beijing crafts its narrative on virus outbreak”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/heroes-villains-beijing-crafts-narrative-virus-outbreak-024851174.html

“China’s Hubei province enacts ‘wartime’ measures as coronavirus count rises to 16,427”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/chinas-hubei-province-enacts-wartime-173049657.html

Assessment

• Writing: Briefly describe the origin and spread of the Coronavirus in recent months. What has been the response of both the Chinese government and the World Health Organization? Beyond its threat to public health, how might this outbreak pose a political problem to the Chinese government?
• Debate: The coronavirus outbreak is a global problem rather than a strictly Chinese problem. Therefore, the World Health Organization should mobilize additional international resource to help fight the spread of the virus.
• Poll: Given what you know about the outbreak, is it likely that you or someone you know will become infected?
• Short Answer: What impact, if any, has the coronavirus had on Chinese politics?

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