SARS mutates
The week's news at a glance.
Beijing
The death rate for sudden acute respiratory syndrome has more than doubled since the epidemic was detected in mid-March—and the virus is mutating, Chinese scientists said this week. Mutations could occur “very fast and easily,” the Beijing Genomics Institute said in a statement, after scientists found changes in the virus’ genetic structure just one week after its DNA was first sequenced. The death rate now stands at 5.6 percent of those infected, well above that of the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed 30 million people worldwide. Scientists in the U.S. said the virus was “here to stay” as a long-term health threat. “The question is,” medical researcher Michael Osterholm told The Washington Post, “is this going to be a public-health nuisance, a public-health problem, or a public-health crisis?”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Will Donald Trump’s second state visit be a diplomatic disaster?
Today's Big Question Charlie Kirk shooting, Saturday’s far-right rally and continued Jeffrey Epstein fallout ramps-up risks of already fraught trip
-
England’s ‘dysfunctional’ children’s care system
In the Spotlight A new report reveals that protection of youngsters in care in England is failing in a profit-chasing sector
-
Cider farms to visit this autumn
The Week Recommends With harvest season fast approaching, spend an afternoon at one of these idyllic orchards