China’s New Viral Pneumonia Heightens Global Alarm

China’s New Viral Pneumonia Heightens Global Alarm
Pedestrians wear protective masks as they walk through a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 16, 2020. Eugene Hoshiko/AP
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BEIJING/SHANGHAI—Deaths from China’s new viral pneumonia heightened global fears of contagion from an infection suspected to have come from animals.

The previously unknown and contagious coronavirus strain emerged from the central city of Wuhan, with cases now detected as far away as the United States. Officials believe the origin to be a market where wildlife is traded illegally.