To say that 2020 has been nothing but a whirlwind is an understatement. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past three months, concerns for the coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19, has swept not only the nation, but worldwide as well. From the time since spring break started for many undergraduate students in North Carolina, millions of people in the United States have frantically raced to stock up on supplies for their household. Most of these supplies revolve around cleaning products, such as disinfecting wipes and toilet paper. Moreover, even entertainment has been put on a halt, with many productions suspending filming for the time being and companies delaying movie releases in theaters. Schools and offices have requested that people learn and work from home, respectively. Many are acting this way as a precaution and appropriately social distancing themselves. To recap, let’s see, in more detail, what has transpired.
According to an article from The New York Times, what was known as an epidemic in China has now become a pandemic that has affected basically every part of the world. An epidemic characterizes an outbreak of a disease across a vast territory. Moreover, this means that within a particular set of time, there is an unusually large number of new cases (greater incidence). Back in January, more than 3,500 new cases of the disease were reported every 24 hours in China alone. When it became an epidemic in China, it was reported that individuals entering restaurants, offices, and even different neighborhoods had to have their body temperatures checked. In addition, the Chinese people had to set up “fever clinics.” These were places to perform different tests on people who had reported to display symptoms of the coronavirus disease. People who tested positive could not return home, as a precaution to avoid infecting family members. Now, only about 24 new cases are reported a day in the country (a massive decrease!).
As stated by the same article from The New York Times, on March 11th, the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) director officially declared that we were living amongst a pandemic. To clarify, a pandemic is an outbreak of a disease across different continents. In a way, it is describing the spread of an epidemic to different parts of the world. Moreover, basically every continent (with the exception of Antarctica) has reported cases of the coronavirus. As of March 11th, it was reported that since the beginning of the virus’ infectious journey, 114 out of the 195 countries have reported cases in the world. Moreover, this amounts to over 120,000 cases in just the span of about 3 months! It is interesting to note that epidemiologists have stated that at this rate, there seems to be a two-fold increase in total worldwide cases every week. Whether this trend continues to be a reality or not is dependent on the measures that not only the United States, but also other countries on other continents are taking. One of the purposes of naming this disease outbreak a pandemic is to increase public concern. Officials at W.H.O. stated that despite the rapid spread of the virus, there were still a few countries that took the situation very lightly, when they should have been preparing more for the unknown.
The lengths that the Chinese people have went to to contain this disease is something that should not go unnoticed by the rest of the people in the world. They have gone to drastic lengths to test people, as well as build additional places to attend to infected people. Healthcare professionals are working non-stop to tend to those infected and for someone like me who wants to become a healthcare professional one day, this is a very inspiring tale. Prior to reading this article, I was not aware that the Chinese people had had specific places for “fever clinics.” Specifically, the amount of testing that they have been conducting is quite astonishing, to say the least. I only hope that the United States will consider and be able to test as many people as possible. It just blow my mind that there are only about 24 new cases per day now. Nevertheless, there is still much work to be done. For a country that has a population of over 1 billion individuals, China has handled this situation better than I thought.
Hearing that what had started as an unknown virus in China has now become a pandemic is a very frightening progression. Not just one, not just two, but over 100 countries are now facing the very reality of this virus. The fact that this virus can be spread from one person to another without either person knowing can make it very hard to contain. Countries need to face the facts and take this matter seriously because it is affecting every aspect of people’s lives, not just their health. In order to cope and relieve some stress, a lot of people in my generation have created memes and tik tok videos. While this is no laughing matter, it is nice to know that we are all in this together while we are all quarantined at home.
According to an article from CNN, the numbers of people infected with the coronavirus have reached over 3,000 alone in the United States. While there is a little bit over 330 million people in the U.S., this is still an alarming number of people with the disease. What is interesting to note is that out of all of the U.S. states and territories, West Virginia has yet to have one reported individual who has the disease. In addition, experts have said that the virus has not reached its climax in the U.S. and that we should continue to take precautions regarding social distancing. President Donald Trump announced that the United States will not allow travelers coming from European countries to come back to the country. This group of countries now consists of Ireland and the United Kingdom. On top of that, the government stated that there should be more tests available to take over the next several weeks. It is important to note that it has been reported that there are not enough tests being currently administered and that even people who were symptomatic were not able to be tested as well. (Note: The information in this article is constantly updated to give the most accurate news to date.)
The past few days have been nothing but an information dump. The more I read about the coronavirus, the more stressed out I get about the subject. Back in January, it seemed like the reality of the coronavirus being present in the United States seemed far away, if not non-existent. Now, two months later, it is very possible that there are people infected with the virus within the county you live in. From the news and class, we know that this virus is spread through direct contact through respiratory droplets. An individual can form these droplets when he or she sneezes, coughs, and even talks. The virus can also be transferred onto fomites and then from fomites to a person. I am glad they are finally deciding to restrict travel between North America and Europe. If anything, I think this act was well overdue. In addition, it concerns me that there are not enough tests being carried out, especially in people who display symptoms. Like we learned in class, the first week of symptoms is one of the most contagious periods of a disease. These people need to know if they need to self-quarantine themselves in order to protect their family and friends. Even though there is still a lot of factors unknown concerning this disease, it does not mean that we should neglect the information that we have acquired so far. On the bright side, people are taking more advantage of disinfectants, such as soap, and learning how to properly clean their hands (if they have not already known how to). Since this is an enveloped virus, its transmission could be prevented with the use of disinfectants.
It is important that in these times of need, we stay calm and act rationally. Now, more than ever, it is crucial that people wash their hands frequently and avoid touching their faces in order to limit the spread of this virus. In addition, it is vital that we also practice proper social distancing. While these practices, especially the last two, are somewhat hard to control by nature, we need to be mindful of not only ourselves, but those around us who may be more vulnerable to the disease. All we can do is take it day by day and hope for the best. Stay safe and healthy out there guys! ❤
Melanie Nguyen's Microbiology Blog 