About 33 million people in China are now under a travel lockdown as authorities froze public transportation in and out of at least 10 cities.
This is a preventive measure to try to halt the spread of a new coronavirus outbreak that is infecting more and more people every day.
Authorities first shut down all public transport in Wuhan on Thursday — including trains, ferries, buses and all outbound flights. Officials are also reportedly inspecting cars and trucks trying to enter and exit Wuhan. As of Friday, similar restrictions are in place in nine other nearby cities.
The coronavirus outbreak originated in Wuhan. It's killed at least 26 people and sickened more than 900 others. The majority of those cases are in China, but patients have also been confirmed in other countries like the U.S., Thailand and South Korea.
Hospitals are having a hard time keeping up with the influx of coronavirus patients, so Wuhan is now rushing to build a new 1,000-bed facility to "address the insufficiency of existing medical resources." It's scheduled to be completed on Feb. 3. China's military has also reportedly ordered dozens of its medical officers to help at overwhelmed hospitals.
Multiple groups are working to develop vaccines to protect against this new coronavirus. But while some could be ready for clinical trials in a few months, experts say it could take more than a year for regulatory approval to be granted.
