Coronavirus infections are doubled every other day - faster than SARS

Now, there are enough cases of infected to allow experts to assess how quickly the virus is spreading. The rate is greater than in the 2002-2003 SAR outbreak, when 8,000 were infected and 800 people died. So far, old and multi-sick have died from the coronavirus. Now two doctors have also died in China.

No deaths have been reported outside China, where 81 people have died. Around 2,700 are infected globally, most in China.

- This is the third outbreak in 18 years. It is sad but inevitable as long as you allow animal markets, says infection expert Björn Olsen. He expects a large increase in the number of infected, but he also has confidence in a collectivist country like China to deal with the outbreak.

Each infected person is at risk of spreading the virus to two people, and the disease is also spread during the incubation period - the time it takes from the time of infection to the onset of the disease. For coronavirus, it is 2-14 days. You can thus infect others before the symptoms such as fever, cough and breathing problems appear.

Vaccine against the virus is well ahead of time. However, antivirus drugs may be on-going, for the treatment of infected. Increased immunity can balance the virus's progress, but trying to protect itself with ordinary types of mouthguard has no effect, says Björn Olsen.

He also says that we can expect cases in Sweden, too, but the healthcare system still has resources to handle the situation.

- The important thing is that people with symptoms do not fall into a health care center but call 1177. There they will be routed to infection clinics and isolated, says Björn Olsen to SVT News.

He thinks the virus is cumbersome but no man-killer.