AP: China confirms 4,500 cases of virus, more than 50 elsewhere
“China has confirmed more than 4,500 cases of a new virus, with 106 deaths. Most have been in the central city of Wuhan where the outbreak began in December. More than 50 cases have been confirmed in other places with nearly all of them involving Chinese tourists or people who visited Wuhan recently…” (1/28).

The Atlantic: The Deceptively Simple Number Sparking Coronavirus Fears
“…In December, a previously unknown coronavirus, now called 2019-nCoV, emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan. There have been more than 4,500 confirmed cases, the majority of which have been in mainland China. But several dozen cases have been detected in more than 15 other countries, and as the outbreak has spread, so has fear. Public-health researchers have sped to estimate the R0 of the new disease, and as they have shared their findings, this number has fueled several alarmed missives on social media…” (Yong, 1/28).

Additional coverage of reactions to the novel coronavirus, in China and on social media, is available from AP, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.