There have been over 150 documented cases of the coronavirus in Italy, lockdown in at least 10 towns, and schools have been closed in major cities. I found it interesting that some European countries have decided to rethink their open border policy and have more “strict” security laws.
On Sunday night, a ship brought migrants from Libya and kept them in quarantine for 2 weeks just for precaution. Most of Europe is on their tippy toes because they have opened their doors for immigrants and are now frightened. Fears of foreigners spreading the virus across oceans has already increased the likelihood that some governments around the world will impose new border or travel controls.
Prime Minister of Italy, Giuseppe Conte, stated, “the country had taken precautions, including barring flights from China in January. These measures seemed to have paid off even if now it looks like it didn’t.” This large epidemic in Italy seems to have passed all their security because people have been taking flights from China to Italy by not declaring their original departure point and/or have not quarantined themselves during the virus’ incubation period.
It is crazy that one of the people that died from the coronavirus had not been to china or any place reported to have the virus. Health officials are trying to figure out how he contracted the virus; he had not been to China. Many cases in Lombardy, officials say, may be traceable to that one case.
- Do you think we will find a cure for the coronavirus?
- What restrictions/policy changes should be put in place to ensure that the coronavirus does not spread at all or not as fast?
- Are you scared of the coronavirus?
5 comments:
The coronavirus is, first off, transmitted and has symptoms similar to the influenza virus. Currently, however, there isn't a cure for the flu. In that case, there won't be a vaccine to that of a cure, but rather vaccines that can reduce the risk and the time infected with coronavirus. Now, in many areas, many people don't have access to sanitation places, especially in areas that are rather off the grid or are considerably impoverished, further increasing the risk of contracting the virus. In addition, many would be ignorant to the risk, refusing to take on a more hygienic practice. If the people won't take their safety into consideration, then the governing body should take on the responsibility of protecting their citizens' well-being. Of course, it is seen already that many institutions have taken the precautions and passed policies that do so.
As an avid reader of scientific news, I know that many companies are racing to find a vaccine or a cure to the coronavirus, but with all of the FDA regulations and several trial phases for finding a cure, a solution seems far away with at least half a year of trials and production before anything can be released. In the meantime, restrictions should be put in place from having this virus spread and become more of a pandemic than it is already becoming. There should be heightened security and hopefully a new screening process can be developed so people with the virus can be identified quickly before they actually see symptoms in the two-week incubation period. This of course, is not very efficient as is costly which puts poorer nations at a disadvantage as they lack the resources to contain and prevent the virus. But with the mobility of people and their resistance to restrictions, it would seem that containment is a hope. Luckily the coronavirus has a relatively small death rate, so it is not something that we should be totally afraid of and shut ourselves away from the rest of society, but just be cautious.
In the end, as as the people don't know if we can find the cure for the coronavirus and that's why there is a reaction that there is. Around the world we watch the virus spread almost easily. Although, as Cameron said, there are many companies searching for this cure, surely. The policies that can be put in place can seem harsh but tend to be necessary. Quarantines seem to be the only way to properly treat at this time. Despite the fact that it seems like a scary , you shouldn't be too worried because being scared of a virus contaminating you seems like a rough way to live.
I agree with Jadon on whether or not the coronavirus can be cured. Like the influenza/flu that comes and leaves every year, the coronavirus may acquire the same habit.With this being said, it may leave sooner or later, but it will come back. Therefore, we need to take precautions with our actions in public, keeping the country as sanitary as possible. As of right now, quarantine/self-quarantine seems to be the most effective way of keeping the virus under control. However, to avoid those who are unquarantined whether because they are unaware of their symptoms or unaware of how serious their symptoms could be, there should be universal regulations put in place. For example, more people should begin to wear masks in public as this not only prevents people from passing on the virus, but also protects from catching the virus itself. Although people like President Trump have publicly stated how useless masks are, it is much better to have more safety precautions than none at all.
I don't think a cure will be reached anytime soon, if ever, given the laborious and time consuming process of drug production. While there is currently tons of man power behind this research, breakthroughs are very difficult and even once they're reached, many tests and trials (as well as safety guidelines) must be passed before the cure can be released to the public. Furthermore, viruses are often even harder to deal with when considering their ability to mutate and evolve. As previous comments have mentioned, there are already viruses that have been around for way longer than the coronavirus, such as the flu, and scientists have been searching for a cure for decades. However, they have yet to come up with anything successful because every year, the virus evolves and can become resistant to the treatments already created. A more likely success in the medical field would come in the form of a vaccine, but this of course will still take lots of time and it seems that the virus is spreading much faster than research is progressing (not even accounting the time it would take to produce and administer the vaccines once they are created). Right now, the best way to combat the virus is to pay extra attention to sanitation and isolate those infected so stop the spreading. Washing your hands, wearing a mask, etc are all good precautions and those with weaker immune systems should be extra careful to avoid sick people. The situation definitely seems scary with the way it has blown up on the media around the world, but the death rate isn't excessively high and if you are a healthy person, you shouldn't be overly concerned about that result. I don't think people should stop going outside or living normal lives just because of the coronavirus; living in fear will only serve to make you more miserable and paranoid. Instead, people should take some sanitary precautions while going about their daily lives like normal (especially for people in a place that hasn't really been affected yet).
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