CoronaVirus Report

COVID-19 REPORT

NOT The End of The World

A global pandemic is a disease epidemic that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents, or worldwide.

The world currently is facing a new pandemic , COVID-19, commonly known as corona virus.

The virus has spread rapidly over a course of four months.

To combat this virus it is necessary to know what exactly is Corona virus.

What is COVID-19?

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

The virus can spread from one person to another via respiratory droplets produced during coughing. It may also be spread from touching contaminated surfaces and then touching one's face. The virus can live on surfaces up to 72 hours. Time from exposure to onset of symptoms is generally between two and fourteen days, with an average of five days.

 Symptoms are physical or mental features which are regarded as indicating a condition of disease. 

Symptoms can help identify the disease and take the proper treatment. 

It is important that one consults a medical professional as soon as they observe certain symptoms or go for a simple routine check-up.

According to the WHO, the most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness and a dry cough. Patients may also have a runny nose, sore throat, nasal congestion and aches and pains or diarrhoea. About 80% of people who get Covid-19 experience a mild case – about as serious as a regular cold.

About one in six people, the WHO says, become seriously ill. The elderly and people with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, or chronic respiratory conditions, are at a greater risk of serious illness from COVID-19.

As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use. The antiviral drugs we have against flu will not work, and there is currently no vaccine. Recovery depends on the strength of the immune system.

How has this new virus affected the world?

The virus was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei China, and has since spread globally, resulting in the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.

The first case of coronavirus outside of china was recorded in Thailand on January 30 2020.

First death outside of china , due to COVID-19, was recorded in

Philippines on February 2 2020.

From February 12 2020 onwards there is a spike in coronavirus cases in south korea.

Iran outbreak begins on February 19 2020. There is outbreak in Northern Italy on February 21 2020.

From there on it spreads all over the world , finding the bodies of the many tourists as vessels of transport for the deadly disease .

The pandemic has also affected the world economy in several way. Wall Street has joined a global sell-off; the S&P 500 index of US companies fell by 11.5% the week commencing on February 24, the worst week since the 2008 crisis. China has effectively been in economic lockdown for a month since Chinese New Year, and the knock-on effect for global manufacturing has already been felt.

The lockdowns and quarantines have put a dangling sword over the heads of daily wage workers and those employed in the unorganised sector. These workers are paid on daily basis , the lesser number of days they work , the lesser they earn.

The most dire of conditions bring out the worst of mankind. 

People have started stocking up unnecessary amounts of perishable and non perishable supplies , this results in a shortage for those who actually need it. Supply shortages are expected to affect a number of sectors due to panic buying, increased usage of goods to fight the pandemic, and disruption to factories and logistics. There have been widespread reports of supply shortages of pharmaceuticals, with many areas seeing panic buying and consequent shortages of food and other essential grocery items. The technology industry, in particular, has been warning about delays to shipments of electronic goods.

What has been done to improve the situation and what more can we do?

In Japan, the handling of a COVID-19 outbreak on a cruise liner led to transmission of the virus into the Japanese population and has even resulted in the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics. In other countries such as in Iran, a lax response by the country's healthcare system led to a loss of containment of the epidemic, which is now spreading to the rest of the Middle East. The lockdown of towns in Northern Italy was too late, with the spread of the virus from Italy already underway across Europe. Hong Kong also shows the importance of strong public signals. Early in the crisis, the government closed schools, canceled public events, told all civil servants to work from home, and strongly encouraged private businesses to let their employees do the same. India has also taken various steps in an effort to combat the spread of coronavirus , a complete 21 day lockdown has been instated by the government , starting from March 25 ,2020, unto April 14, 2020.

We , as individuals, can do our part by practicing social distancing , self quarantine and thinking logically instead of buying into the panic.

Statistics concerning COVID-19.

To check wether the disease is coming under control or not , we can check data and analyse graphs .

An epidemic grows exponentially , not in a linear manner . So it is important that when looking at data we use a logarithmic graph and not a linear graph.

This is a linear graph , the scale is consistent.

This is logarithmic graph , the scale grows exponentially .