Scientists may come up with a medical solution for the corona virus anytime soon, judging by the amount of effort going in. However, medical testing could take another nine months, and that’s the window of risk we face. Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Ghebreyesus says we can’t afford to miss the corona virus window of opportunity.
How China Used the Corona Virus Window of Opportunity
Tedros Ghebreyesus says the steps China took were a good way to stop the corona virus spreading. Hubei Province has a population of 58.5 million people in an area 19% larger than California, and locking it out could not happen overnight.
There are positive signs this policy is working. All the most recent deaths were in Hubei Province, the WHO Director-General explains. There are also vastly-more known cases in China than anywhere else in the world. While the Chinese death toll now stands at 490, there have only been two deaths elsewhere. One of these was in Hong Kong, and the other in Philippines.
Therefore the Strategy of Contain, Isolate, Treat is Working
The World Health Organization has declared a global medical emergency, but stopped short of declaring a pandemic. This would only be the case were the virus to spread throughout the world, which is not currently happening.
However this assessment is in terms of the information WHO has. This data depends how well affected countries cooperate. Around 80% of the fatalities were over 60 years of age. Moreover, 75% of these had pre-existing chronic conditions like diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
This is a corona virus window of opportunity open for us to share. We must act responsibly by taking precautions to avoid becoming part of the infection chain. It’s a question of disinfecting our hands regularly, and not touching our faces. If we all did that we would make a huge difference.
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Preview Image: Growth Chart of Confirmed Cases
