The Easiest Way to Flatter the Curve : Covid-19 Backstory
During the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak, the world was at the brink of war. Everyone had an objective, which is to win the war against other attacking nations. Most countries were busy defending itself from other visible enemies while a non-discriminating enemy was silent being awake from its deep sleep.
Known as H1N1 Virus, by the time the pandemic ended, it has taken around at least 50 million lives during 1918–1919. After a century, some of the similarities remained such as the lack of vaccines, the number of doctors, cooperation from the public and lack of contingency plans for pandemic outbreaks.
The Numbers
Based on the statistics provided by Worldometers, as to the date of April 5th 2020, the number of cases worldwide is rising rapidly without a sign of slowing down. Starting from 98,485 on March 5th to 1,203,459 cases on April 5th, a 1222% increase within a month. Looking at the economic indicator, the S&P 500 was 3,023 point, dropped to 2,488 points, followed by the Dow Jones indicator, which dropped from 26,121 to 21,052 points within the similar time-frame.
Businesses and healthcare workers are not the only victims of the COVID-19. In March 2020 alone, more than 10 million people have filed for unemployment in the US. If compared to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic or 2003 SARS outbreak, the economic impact, mortality rate, nationwide lockdown and job losses are far more severe. The majority of people may not even remember the severity of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic due to the low mortality rate of only 0.001–0.007% among closed cases. (Lower than the seasonal flu, which is around 0.1% — 0.14%.) Meanwhile, the current COVID-19’s current mortality rate among closed cases is 20.76% as to the date on April 5th 2020.
Overcoming the Invisible Enemy.
The good news is, no matter how severe the current situation may appear, history has shown that humanity is capable of surviving any pandemic. Here are steps that you should take to keep you and your family safe.
Stay Home
COVID-19 wants YOU to be sick by putting you close to an infected person. To prevent that, working from and staying at home limits your exposure to a possible infected person. However, there are essential things such as food and medicine and travelling may be required. Remember to stock up enough supplies for 2 weeks to reduce the number of outdoor activities.
Practicing Social Distancing and Extreme Hygiene & Decontamination Process
Remember how COVID-19 wants you to get close to an infected person? It is impossible to avoid encountering with other people. When outside, always maintain at least 6 feet (1.8 meters) distance from others. Only pick something from the shelves after you have decided to reduce the number of touches, that also includes, never to touch your face. After shopping, always opt for contactless payment during checkout. Once you returned home, wash your hands and sterilize your canned or packet groceries with a cloth soaked in some alcohol. Remember, never touch anyone before taking a warm bath.
By taking those steps above, you are Flattening the Curve.
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