Three months into the Corona Era - What we lost & what we gained
The first quarter –what we lost and what we have
It has been three months since a public health emergency was declared. It was clear from day one that the outbreak of this novel coronavirus will be of international concern.
On 31st December, a cluster of cases were reported in Wuhan, China. The reports issued at the time stated that the patients had ‘pneumonia of unknown causes’. Within days, as victims showed startling symptoms and the pattern of the same disease hitting the ones who had been close to patients, started showing.
Swift action was taken and on the 2nd of January, the situation, related information which had been collected till then, and the possible spread to other areas was relayed to Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (or GOARN); which includes more than 260 institutions in more than 70 countries. The ‘Corona Era’ had officially begun.
On 3rd January, China presented the case to health industry leaders in Beijing. The very next day, a Disease Outbreak News was issued to the public along with technical information regarding what was being foreseen and how the effects could be minimized.
Since that day to the present, the medical and scientific community has worked tirelessly to do anything and everything to do three things side by side:
Keep the public aware of all safety precautions
Conduct high-speed research to study the virus
Work on developing and the production (once a vaccine is finalized) of vaccines.
Wuhan is an international transport hub and the possibility that the virus could have left china through people commuting to other countries, was a major concern from the start and a ‘Readiness Checklist’ was issued to countries to assess their capacity for detection of the coronavirus, in case it enters their borders. A response guideline was also issued.
The information needed to create testing kits was released by china for all countries to use to develop the kits. That day, the first death from coronavirus was reported. And then the whirlwind began.
As January ended, there were 581 cases in China and less than 100 cases outside. The need to control this rapid spread led to the declaration of Public Health Emergency- the highest level of alarm.
At the time, an international team of scientists travelled to China to look into the outbreak and the response. Working here were experts from China, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Nigeria, the Russian Federation, Singapore, and the United States of America, aided by many other countries as well.
Over the last three months, thousands of experts have been taken in the loop to analyze the evolving evidence and distill it into guidance. Countries and private partners are working day in and day out to accelerate the development and equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. More than 2.3 Health Workers have been trained so far and the training continues at a fast pace –more workers are needed.
In these dark times, the generosity of so many people has lit many bright candles and that is what is guiding our way right now. Celebrities like Hugh Evans and Lady Gaga have been providing entertainment – without which – a three-month lockdown would have been worse than our imaginations. Health care companies and their staff, medical practitioners, social workers, and even military forces personnel have been working at the frontlines –putting their lives at risk to keep us, people they do not even know, safe.
As of 30th April 2020, the total detected cases of coronavirus have reached the number of 3 175 207 in 215 countries/areas/territories. 224 172 (18%) of these victims have lost the battle against the virus but on the other hand, 1,054,833 (82%) have recovered.
The testing of multiple vaccinations has started. There are patients who have recovered after using the vaccines but it is still not clear whether they recovered because of the vaccine or due to other reasons –just like the many people who have been recovering without vaccination. Hence, there are no conclusive results but the progress is promising.
The Director-General of WHO shared in his most recent press conference that, “This virus can wreak havoc. It’s more than any terrorist attack. It can bring political, economic, and social upheavals. But the choice is ours, and the choice should be unity at the national level. The choice should be global solidarity, standing in unity.
During the past three months, a lot has been taken from us but there is one thing we, human beings, are not willing to give up and that is what keeps us moving forward hope.
Call out: Social distancing and staying sterilized (using sanitizers, soaps, and minimizing contact with objects outside your house) are the two most effective methods of staying safe.
A public service by KRS Home Care & The Opinion Wire