Sam Caffarelli
Dr. Holt Bard 15 May 2020 A COVID-19 Success Story In March of 2020, life as we know it came to a grinding halt, COVID-19 came out of nowhere; it was not so long ago that people were hugging, shaking hands, and going to concerts. It drastically changed the world overnight, and no one expected a global pandemic. This forced Schools to resort to teaching online, non-essential employees to now work from home, and physical human contact became a thing of the past. Governments everywhere started implementing countermeasures and ordered millions of people to stay home. These countermeasures varied in their effectiveness, but we can use them to learn what works in fighting this mysterious illness. Life may appear as it will never get back to normal, It may seem unbeatable, but the world is capable of defeating COVID-19 if humanity as a whole is willing to take the safe and correct steps. This pandemic is on a much larger and more severe scale than other outbreaks in recent history; it is a fierce enemy, but not an invincible one. There are a few major factors that make COVID-19 an extreme challenge to combat against. Each cell is covered in spikes, and these spikes lock in with human cells like puzzle pieces. These spikes are dotted with sugars in the same way that our cells are, so in some cases, the virus can bypass your immune system because it appears as a human cell. Another difficulty with the virus is the differing severity in cases; some people exhibit the symptoms of a mild cold or seasonal allergies, while others are forced to be put on respirators. These symptoms develop slowly and allow the virus to spread before the host realizes anything is wrong or exhibits any symptoms. The cells can lodge themselves in the upper respiratory tract, which enables them to be spread easily through talking, sneezing, and coughing. They can also lodge themselves and replicate deep inside the lungs, which causes much more severe systems. COVID-19 can survive dormant on cardboard for up to 24 hours and for even longer on stainless steel and plastic. COVID-19 cells are equipped with proteins that are much bigger than other illnesses classified as in its family; this allows them to adapt and also correct mutations, this is why coronaviruses can survive in humans, camels, and bats. It can reproduce fast enough that only a few days after contracting, all of the host's blood will contain the virus. However, the virus does not want to kill its host, as it needs the host to survive, so some virologists suggest that it will mutate less harmful. COVID-19 cells are versatile and able to replicate exceptionally quickly, but some things will kill them before they gain access to the respiratory system. The first, and easiest preventative measure is to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, as the soap will break the cell apart, ultraviolet light and heat (higher than that of a human fever) are also able to neutralize the COVID-19 cells. Although COVID-19 is a unique threat that emerged overnight, some governments were able to combat COVID-19 effectively, and the steps those governments took in the early stages of the outbreak were essential for flattening the curve. Perhaps the most important lesson can be learned from Taiwan's response to this outbreak. Taiwan dealt with an outbreak of SARS in 2002-2003 that killed 181 people, and they prepared well for another. Taiwan created a Central Epidemic Command Center to prevent another outbreak like SARS in 2002, and they were in action before there was even one confirmed case in Taiwan. They also started screening travelers from Wuhan very early, and they tested the population thoroughly, even double testing those with the flu. Technology also greatly helped the Taiwanese Government track outbreaks, as they used a nationwide database that would note if anyone was exhibiting the symptoms of COVID-19. They also implemented more extreme measures, such as implementing an alarm system for those under quarantine who went too far away from home. Another country with an impressive COVID-19 response was Iceland, which managed to keep schools open because tests are available to everyone. Admittedly, it is much easier for Iceland to have readily available tests with its population of 364,111 than for countries with more abundant and denser populations. However, the tests were not the only thing that helped Iceland effectively flatten the curve. The speed at which Iceland implemented quarantine measures was a key factor. It began to screen travelers by March 3, and large gatherings were banned on March 16, while at the end of March, there were still 18 states in the United States of America that were not under lockdown. South Korea also managed to control its outbreak of COVID-19 very well through efficient drive-through testing and passing legislation that allowed them to gather GPS data for large group studies. South Korean law enforcement also worked with the major communication companies in order to track the outbreaks. Along with this, apps created would alert users if they had been within a certain radius of a location a person infected with COVID-19 had previously been. Similarly to Taiwan, South Korea implemented geofencing to help enforce their lockdown, and their populations are much more used to surveillance measures than most western countries'. These strategies clearly paid off, Iceland has a rate of 2.2 deaths per 100,000 residents, South Korea has a rate of .4 deaths per 100,00 residents, and Taiwan has a death rate of .03 deaths per 100,000 residents. For comparison, Italy's rate of deaths per 100,000 residents is 34.9, the United Kingdom's is 18.2 deaths per 100,000 residents, and the United States of America's is 7.9 deaths per 100,000 residents. The numbers do not lie, and with so many people's lives on the line, it's time the rest of the world begins to take more drastic steps. There are four major things that countries with successful COVID-19 responses have in common. The first is Universal Health care, which is why they were all able to test on a large scale and isolate those who would spread the virus. In the United States of America, more than 40 million people lack health insurance, meaning they would have to pay out of pocket for any medical care they needed, which would hurt even more now that the economy has slowed down due to the virus. The second factor that contributed to containing the outbreak was the speed at which these countries implemented lockdown, screening, and social distancing measures. South Korea and Taiwan experienced the SARS outbreak of 2002. Hence, they prepared in case another outbreak of the sort happened again, and Iceland implemented similar measures to these countries very early. The third, and what seems to be the most helpful tool, is technology. Such as apps that trace where those infected have been, geofencing, and public text message alerts for hotspots of people infected with COVID-19. Unfortunately, the implementation of these technologies forces citizens to trade their privacy for their safety, which makes it extremely hard to implement in western countries such as the United States of America, where people place value on personal freedom above all else. The last commonality between most of the countries commended on their response to COVID-19 is female leadership. Female leaders seem to be able to connect with their populations much better than their male counterparts, and they also have the decisiveness required to take the speedy steps that can defeat the virus early. A great example of being able to connect to the population is Erna Solberg, the prime minister of Norway. She took questions from the children of her country, and she was the only adult at this proceeding. Female leaders take logical, decisive steps and appear to be much better at convincing their population of the necessary sacrifices for the greater good. These countries demonstrate to the rest of the world that COVID-19 can be effectively fought against, and hopefully, other world leaders are ready to take larger steps. It may take extreme measures such as geofencing or an app that shows where infected people have visited, and although some people may feel it's an invasion of privacy, there are lives at risk here. The evidence is in the numbers, the best tool to flatten the curve is technology, and is extremely useful when combined with quick implementation of screening and lockdown measures. Although pharmaceutical companies are working on delivering a vaccine, that could be up to a year away. Taiwan's lockdown measures kept the death toll to seven people, which is extremely impressive because it is located close to the source of all this turmoil, Wuhan, China. The rest of the world will continue to lose people at an alarming rate unless the world is willing to take more significant steps. Taiwan and South Korea have demonstrated that preventative and proactive measures work, and it's time for the world, especially the United States of America, to take notes. |