Covid-19, An End to the Lockdown Draws Near?
Photo Credit: BBC News
Coronavirus Cases: 2,934,638
Deaths: 203,683
Recovered: 840,759
(Up Until April 26, 2020)
By Fouad Kazan - Communication and Public Relations- MECC
There is no doubt, that the infectivity rate of the covid-19 pandemic has receded over the past few days, ushering glimmers of hope to a world that awaits any subtle sign which could give it relief. Nations had implemented lockdowns, have shut their land and sea borders, and closed their airports in an attempt to quell the spread; which they have succeeded in doing so. Despite this good news and despite all collective efforts, the World Food Program has warned that the global pandemic is in a stage where it can cause global famines of 'biblical proportions,' if not addressed[1] while the WHO (World Health Organization) claimed that the virus will stay with us ‘for a long time’[2]. So the real question arises: Are we truly at the end of the crisis? Will we be able resume our normal casual and work lives shortly, or are we headed to a long term process which will require a great deal of patience and perseverance?
The world economy has shrunken to unprecedented levels, forcing the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva to admit we are in the ‘worst economic fallout since the Great Depression’[3]. During a phase which entails nations and governments dipping into their national reserve funds when state revenues have regressed, the world is in a war of attrition against covid-19. In other words: which entity will exhaust the other? Will covid-19 wear us down or will we able to muster manpower and economic resources to keep on fighting? Up until this present moment 15 entities (including United States, Germany, France, the European Central Bank, China, Sweden, UK, the European Union, Italy, UAE, Switzerland, South Korea, Japan, Austria, and India) have cumulatively allocated a massive $2.784 trillion to combat the threats of coronavirus; which caused a major financial drain on each of them.[4]
To make matters worse, the WHO warned that there are no indications or evidence that a person has immunity or is no longer at risk of becoming re-infected[5]. This means that covid-19’s infectivity rate can suddenly re-spike if nations are not careful with their lockdown measures. Moreover, the high infectivity capability of the virus, the fact that it can survive several hours on various surfaces, and its somewhat long incubation period, all have made such a lethal and silent infiltrator and a burden on the economy.
Despite this entire calamity, the world seems fixated on finding a cure to the pandemic. For instance, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and other representatives of Asian, European, African, and South American countries joined a video call, orchestrated by the WHO, and pledged their countries to accelerate work on tests, drugs and vaccines against COVID-19 and to share them around the globe.[6] Dubbed as a ‘common fight’, this collective action will lead to the development of more than 100 potential vaccines. Moreover, China, which was not present during the video call, declared that its clinical trials will lead to a vaccine in less than five months.[7] Another milestone worth mentioning, is that the UN has recently launched a collaboration program with public and private sectors in a wide variety of nations to "accelerate the development, production, and equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics" for COVID-19.[8]
When rewinding the entire mentioned above, one can deduct that we are in a stage of uncertainty and ambiguity. Nevertheless there exists hope for a better tomorrow and this predicament will eventually pass by, transforming into a trivial phase in world history. All that is needed is to unify efforts and stand together to fight this common enemy. Thus, only through our collaboration and our perseverance, will we make certain that covid-19 will be completely eradicated. All that remains is the test of our determination, spirits, and our moral values in fighting the outbreak.
For more information, related to the covid-19 pandemic, do not forget to visit the following WHO (World Health Organization) link:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports
[1] CNN, April 22, 2020, https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/22/africa/coronavirus-famine-un-warning-intl/index.html
[2] CNBC, April 22, 2020, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/22/world-health-organzation-warns-coronavirus-will-be-with-us-for-a-long-time.html
[3] Time, April 9, 2020, https://time.com/5818819/imf-coronavirus-economic-collapse/
[4] Business Today, March 18, 2020, https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/coronavirus-pandemic-us-germany-uk-raise-war-chest-15-nations-allocate-24-trillion-dollar/story/398343.html
[5] CNBC, April 17, 2020, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/17/who-issues-warning-on-coronavirus-testing-theres-no-evidence-antibody-tests-show-immunity.html
[6] Reuters, April 24, 2020, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-who/world-leaders-due-to-launch-covid-19-drugs-vaccine-plan-who-idUSKCN2261M7
[7] Daily Mail, April 24, 2020, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8253689/First-coronavirus-vaccine-ready-September-head-Chinas-CDC-claims.html
[8] Rappler, April 26, 2020, https://www.rappler.com/science-nature/life-health/259080-latest-updates-coronavirus-vaccine-development-april-2020