Corona Virus Will Make Drastic Changes to Everything
As of today, there are 20 confirmed cases in where I live, the Philippines.
But even if our company’s business model is “work from home”, there are still precautionary measures to take which I advised our team. With the Department of Health’s admission of the lack testing kits in the country, it is quite logical to assume that we are under-reporting the confirmed cases of those infected. Which, for some, is cause enough to panic.
This is in stark contrast to how developed countries such as South Korea used their tech resources and political will to “throw everything they’ve got” at the virus. Without worrying about costs, the South Korean government has used their internet, apps, SMS, and even CCTV tracing and algorithms to conduct their thorough tracing procedures. Yes, this produced a lot of positives in their country, but this is good since they tested a gazillion citizens and have far more accurate data than any other country. It’s also the reason why their death rates are so low.
Meanwhile, man’s adjustment to his way of life is tested to the limit.
Events have been cancelled, whole cities are in lockdown and there may even be a possibility that this year’s Olympics in Tokyo may be cancelled. Handshakes are slowly becoming a thing of the past but some alternatives, such as elbow bumps or feet bumps, are in place.
Also, it is quite apparent that panic and fake news are far more deadly than this virus. Lies are everywhere and one can laugh at stupidity but sadly, it’s a far worse epidemic than Corona.
Yes, this is a global concern. There is reason to be alarmed, of course. But there is also a call to be level-headed and not panic. Purchasing all the toilet paper at the store will not save you from infection. Human behaviour is baffling sometimes.
We, as a species, will get over this. There is still hope. There are also a lot of reasons not to panic. We are, at this age, more equipped to prepare and deal with a Pandemic than we were 5 or 10 years ago. Governments, corporations and organizations must learn to throw away their differences and work together to come up with solutions. The virus will definitely not discriminate on your gender, race, beliefs or even wealth-status. Repeat after me – no one is immune (yet).
Until we make a vaccine, things will have to change and we should all be adjusting.
There will be changes on how we conduct business, how we travel, how we buy our food and supplies, how we get into contact with other people. “Social Distancing” is the best thing we can do right now to contain the epidemic and for me, I’d rather share that on social media than some fake, unverified news.
Perhaps nCov is Mother Earth’s way of warning us. Her way to ask to “breathe” again? For the first time in years, we’ve seen a decline in pollution in China and the use of fossil fuels. Less travel, less wasted human movement and interaction means a less stressful planet. That may be the silver lining in all of this.
Dr. Ian Limkin, a virus expert, and also the technical consultant in the film “Contagion” said that we will eventually get a vaccine and believes that the scientific community is working doubly hard to do this. But everyone must learn to do their share while we “wait it out”.
Another take-away here is that populist governments and tyrannical leaders are the worse recipe when a disaster of this magnitude hits. Perhaps this will be another wake up call on how we choose our leaders when the next chance rolls along. I certainly hope so.
Until then, stay safe. Respect others. Wash your hands and be vigilant!
We will get through this.
