TRACING THE HISTORY OF CORONA VIRUS
TRACING THE HISTOY OF COVID 19 1N WUHAN CHINA
GEORGE MWANGI
The effects of Covid- 19 have been felt by most nations of the world, though it started in Wuhan China as a community disease in December 2019. Coronavirus has become one of the worst pandemics to hit the world in this century. Covid -19 has become a major threat even to the major economies of the world; they have been hard hit by this killer monster that currently has no cure. So far it has been estimated that over 2.6 billion people in the informal sector have lost their jobs because of Corona.
Currently, Covid- 19 has left millions dead, and millions infected by this killer virus; as a result of this, Nations have trembled and the global economy is hard hit beyond repair. The Economy of most nations is bleeding uncontrollably. It is evident that no nation in the world has been spared by this deadly disease. It has left many wondering, what is the way forward in the coming years. It is important to note that major sectors of the global economy have been deeply wounded with no hope of soon recovery.
Numerous effects have been evident in the economy of almost every nation. One major effect of this killer disease has been the death of millions of people with the graph rising on a daily basis.
This is current the rate of infection according to the world health organization (WHO) as of 25th April 2021
America
61,152,648 Confirmed cases
Europe
50,849,952 Confirmed cases
South-East Asia
20,332,200 Confirmed cases
Eastern Mediterranean
8,871,088 Confirmed cases
Africa
3,280,160 Confirmed cases
Western Pacific
2,355,088 Confirmed cases
Covid 19 global death shaken notonly the family foundation but national and global foundations have not been spared. Many people have lost their loved ones in different aspects; some have lost their husbands, others their wives, while others have lost their fathers or mothers, parents have lost their children, brothers have lost their sisters and vice versa, etc. Cries are being heard from every corner of the world, with the cure to comfort people who have been bereaved by their loved ones.
People are living in fear because they do not know who is next in the line of infection and in severe cases death. People can no longer go to see their loved ones in the hospital because they cannot be allowed; because of the nature of the disease, it has become almost impossible to control this pandemic; it is terribly infectious in that, even the dead are handled with great caution, the worst part of it is that people are not allowed to bury their own; this has left many traumatized and in great pain, as a result of the loss their loved ones; for instance relatives who have their people abroad cannot receive the bodies of their loved ones; where people die, they are buried there by few people; some people might never see the graves of their loved ones, because it’s only the authorities in those countries that know where people have been buried.
Job losses have been a notable effect of Covid -19. It has been estimated that over 2.6 billion people in the informal sector have lost their jobs; working hours have rapidly reduced to less than 6 hours per day in many major economies. This has led to an increase in the poverty level, many people are depending on the government for even the basic necessities of life such as food. The livingstandard is no longer a priority in many nations; people are struggling to have a better life with little or no success.
.Industries are no longer operational; some have shut their doors with no hope of opening soon. Not one sector of the economy has been spared, for instance, tourism and transport have been hard hit to the point of drastic stagnation; employees in these sectors are struggling for survival but in vain. Hotels have been closed, airlines are no longer enjoying their good profits, and it is only cargo planes in some countries that have been left to operate, not for profit gain but for survival.
.Tourism has been greatly affected as a result of the current travel restrictions; no one is allowed to move from one country to another for tourism or trade. Many employees in the hotel industry are at home with no hope of ever being paid for what they have worked for, leave alone what they have not worked for.
.Education is another sector that has been deeply affected by Covid 19. Most learning institutions globally, have been closed as a result of Coronavirus. This has distracted the academic calendars of most learning institutions. The chances of students who graduate this year seem to be dim if things don’t change. Most learning institutions are no longer operating. This has left many teachers and educators struggling to make the ends meet. With the increase in the rate of infections; currently, there is no hope for learning institutions opening soon. Some nations are trying digital learning while others are stranded not knowing what to do.
·Health sector is the most wounded of all, with doctors having sleepless nights trying to help those affected by this pandemic; scientists are trying hard to find the cure for this dreaded disease. The budget of health has been strained beyond limits. Governments are borrowing from other sectors to aid the health docket. This is the only sector that is having people who are a hundred percent at work. The health workers have not been spared; many health workers have died in the line of duty a thing that should worry any person because they are at the forefront. This is the right time to support the health workers with all that they need to keep the ball rolling. Many health workers cannot go back home after work because of the high rate of infection of the Covid 19. The families of the health workers are stressed because they cannot see their husbands at home, some cannot see their wives as they used to, and children can no longer enjoy the joy of having their parents at home
·Religion is another sector that has been greatly affected by Covid 19. People can no longer congregate. The social distance rule has made people to stay at home, this has greatly affected the spiritual well-being of many; In this century Covid 19 is the only disease that has caused total lockdown even in the most sacred places all over the world. In the history of man, this is one of the dreaded diseases that has made places of worship a no go zone. All over the world no mosque, temple, shrine, church etc is open; in most countries, it has become a crime to be found in a place of worship. Many worshipers have found themselves on the wrong side of the law because of ignoring the social distance rule. The social distance rule has caused people to be apart; people can no longer socialize as they used to, currently, it’s a crime for many people to be found in one place either for a drink or sports.
·Trade is another sector that has been greatly affected by Covid 19. Many people can no longer operate their businesses because of the movement restrictions. People can no longer trade freely as they used to. Many business premises have been closed because of this killer disease; trading has become almost impossible in every nation in the world. As a result of this, the economy of most nations is at a standstill because people cannot pay taxes which is required to run any economy. The money market is no longer active because people cannot trade as they used to.
·The time has come for people from all nations to join hands to defeat this monster that is threatening to wipe out the human race from the face of the earth. This can be done by adhering to all the set rules and regulations to curb the spread of this dreaded pandemic. This includes wearing a mask, keeping a social distance, regularly washing your hands with soap and running water, avoiding shaking hands, using sanitizers, avoiding social gatherings, avoiding contact with infected people, maintaining general health hygiene, etc.
This is how it all began
31 Dec 2019
Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, China, reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province. A novel coronavirus was eventually identified.
1 January 2020
WHO had set up the IMST (Incident Management Support Team) across the three levels of the organization: headquarters, regional headquarters, and country level putting the organization on an emergency footing for dealing with the outbreak.
4 January 2020
WHO reported on social media that there was a cluster of pneumonia cases — with no deaths — in Wuhan, Hubei province.
5 January 2020
WHO published our first Disease Outbreak News on the new virus. This is a flagship technical publication to the scientific and public health community as well as global media. It contained a risk assessment and advice and reported on what China had told the organization about the status of patients and the public health response to the cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan.
10 January 2020
WHO issued a comprehensive package of technical guidance, online with advice to all countries on how to detect, test, and manage potential cases, based on what was known about the virus at the time. This guidance was shared with WHO’s regional emergency directors to share with WHO representatives in countries.
Based on experience with SARS and MERS and known modes of transmission of respiratory viruses, infection and prevention control guidance were published to protect health workers recommending droplet and contact precautions when caring for patients, and airborne precautions for aerosol-generating procedures conducted by health workers.
12 January 2020
China publicly shared the genetic sequence of COVID-19.
13 January 2020
Officials confirm a case of COVID-19 in Thailand, the first recorded case outside of China.
14 January 2020
WHO’s the technical lead for the response noted in a press briefing there may have been limited human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus (in the 41 confirmed cases), mainly through family members, and that there was a risk of a possible wider outbreak. The lead also said that human-to-human transmission would not be surprising given our experience with SARS, MERS, and other respiratory pathogens.
20–21 January 2020
WHO experts from its China and Western Pacific regional offices conducted a brief field visit to Wuhan.
22 January 2020
WHO mission to China issued a statement saying that there was evidence of human-to-human transmission in Wuhan but more investigation was needed to understand the full extent of transmission.
22- 23 January 2020
The WHO Director-General convened an Emergency Committee (EC) under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) to assess whether the outbreak constituted a public health emergency of international concern. The independent members from around the world could not reach a consensus based on the evidence available at the time. They asked to be reconvened within 10 days after receiving more information.
28 January 2020
A senior WHO delegation led by the Director-General traveled to Beijing to meet China’s leadership, learn more about China’s response, and offer any technical assistance. While in Beijing, Dr. Tedros agreed with Chinese government leaders that an international team of leading scientists would travel to China on a mission to better understand the context, and the overall response, and to exchange information and experience.
30 January 2020
The WHO Director-General reconvened the Emergency Committee (EC). This was earlier than the 10-day period and only two days after the first reports of limited human-to-human transmission were reported outside China. This time, the EC reached a consensus and advised the Director-General that the outbreak constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The Director-General accepted the recommendation and declared the novel coronavirus outbreak (2019-nCoV) a PHEIC. This is the 6th time WHO has declared a PHEIC since the International Health Regulations (IHR) came into force in 2005.
WHO’s situation report for 30 January reported 7818 total confirmed cases worldwide, with the majority of these in China, and 82 cases reported in 18 countries outside China. WHO gave a risk assessment of very high for China, and high at the global level.
3 February 2020
WHO releases the international community’s Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to help protect states with weaker health systems.
11–12 February 2020
WHO convened a Research and Innovation Forum on COVID-19, attended by more than 400 experts and funders from around the world, which included presentations by George Gao, Director General of China CDC, and Zunyou Wu, China CDC’s chief epidemiologist.
16–24 February 2020
The WHO-China Joint mission, which included experts from Canada, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, and the US (CDC, NIH) spent time in Beijing and also traveled to Wuhan and two other cities. They spoke with health officials, scientists, and health workers in health facilities (maintaining physical distancing).
The report of the joint mission can be found here: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf
11 March 2020
Deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction, WHO made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.
13 March 2020
COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund was launched to receive donations from private individuals, corporations, and institutions.
18 March 2020
WHO and partners launch the Solidarity Trial, an international clinical trial that aims to generate robust data from around the world to find the most effective treatments for COVID-19.
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