The Current Pandemic Situation

The Current Pandemic Situation

In the spring of 2009, a novel influenza A virus, later known popularly known as the H1N1, first emerged in the united states of America and quickly spread across the country and outside its borders. By the time the influenza was brought under control in august 2010, more than 18,000 people across the world had died from the virus, making it one of the worst pandemics in history. The 2009 flu was also the last pandemic the world witnessed, up until November 2019, when the first case of the now dreaded coronavirus outbreak was reported in the Hubei province of China. One month later, Chinese doctors started noting cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, in Wuhan, which is in the Hubei Province of China. Since its official outbreak at the end of December 2019, the COVID-19 has drawn a lot of speculations regarding its spread, impact, the vulnerable population, and its unprecedented cure that is yet to be formulated. However, one thing the entire world agrees on right now is that the virus continues to threaten lives across the globe, both young and old, and is causing a wreck on the world economy, given the various directives by countries to shut down chief economic services.

Towards the end of December 2019, when china started witnessing escalating cases of the COVID-19, various theories were established to explain the origin and nature of the virus. The source of the virus is believed to be a wet market in Wuhan that sells both dead and live animals. Coronaviruses are a family that causes diseases in animals, which explains why the damp market in Wuhan was the perfect hub of interaction between the animals that had the virus and healthy animals. Given that the virus mainly spreads through contact with contaminated animals as well as surfaces, the wanting hygiene of the market in the manner it handled the trade in live animals, as well as their butchering, made it easier for the virus to get into contact with the first human victim.

While the world largely blames the Chinese, citing that their “unorthodox” lifestyle and eating habits directly caused the now global health pandemic, there is no denying that the rest of the world suffers as much as China, if not worse. For instance, as of 20^th March 2020, China reported a total of 3,249 deaths from the virus, while Italy had 5,476 death cases, so far, the highest number of death cases in any given country, and more worrying is that these numbers continue to escalate by the day. There are various schools of thought regarding the virus, most of which have been ruled out as baseless assumptions as the pandemic continues to hit the rest of the world.

The first theory was that the virus only attacked older people and that young people up to their late 40s were safe from contracting the virus. However, scientists have since ruled out this theory, given that the virus has mutated into the second strand, which further makes the formulation of a vaccine all the more challenging. The other apparent insusceptible category was the third world countries, particularly Africa, which initially viewed the virus as a “white man disease.” However, this misconception has equally been put to rest, with more African countries being walloped by the virus as the day goes by. As of 22^nd March 2020, 43 African countries had reported more than 1000 coronavirus infection cases, with the continent now joining the rest of the world in taking drastic measures to curb the spread of the virus. Rwanda became the first nation in the continent to be placed on lockdown, while critics fear more African countries are likely to follow the trend in the coming few days and weeks.

As the world continues to grasp the reality of the virus, one thing has become crystal clear; no one is safe from coronavirus, and it is essential that every individual, young or old, white or otherwise, from any part of the world, take the necessary measures to ensure their hygiene. With the American president Donald trump coming to terms with the fact that the coronavirus is not a “Chinese virus” but rather a global pandemic, the country continues to work with the World Health Organization to ensure that every individual in America and the rest of the world are sensitized on the proper ways to ensure their hygiene, and the other precautions they should take to safeguard their health and well-being.

Even as the rest of the world remains hopeful that the CDC and the rest of the global medical players will develop a cure and a vaccine soon for coronavirus, individuals should maintain social distancing and minimize close body contacts. Physical contact with an infected person is one of the sure ways of contracting the virus. Secondly, everyone needs to sanitize their hands regularly or wash them using soap and water to reduce the risk of carrying the virus from whatever surface. Above all, every person should remain vigilant of the signs of the infection, which include coughing, fever, tiredness, and difficulty breathing in severe cases. Should a person experience any of these symptoms, they should call the coronavirus hotline numbers given for their respective countries.