Libre: United by emotion

IT COULD grow worse before it gets better. That in plain language is what seems to be happening with the spread of Covid-19, the virus that is creating havoc to humanity. Originating in the province of Hubei, China, this has now spread to 41 countries, including Iran, South Korea and Italy. As of Feb. 26, the number of deaths reached 2,766, with 81,195 people found positive, of which 30,264 have recovered.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has yet to declare Covid-19 at a level of pandemic, but its Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated: “Does this virus have pandemic potential? Absolutely, it has. Are we there yet? From our assessment, not yet.” If in the next few days the virus crops up in new unaffected countries, WHO should push the emergency button and declare a pandemic.

While it is advised that we remain calm, we should be aware that some of those in the battlefront have themselves been infected or had died. For instance, Iranian Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, who was giving a press conference about the virus, was coughing and sweating and, after being tested, was found to be positive for the disease. Then there was Li Wenliang, the Chinese doctor who made the first warning of the outbreak on Dec. 30, dying on Feb. 7.

Drug companies and scientists are scrambling to find a cure. One seems to be working, “Remdesivir,” according to Bruce Aylward, a WHO official who is detailed in China. While that is a relief, there is still a puzzle that needs to be solved promptly. How did the virus spread so fast in the world in so short a time? In a response to a question by Time magazine, David Heymann, a professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene, said: “The big problem is that the transmissibility of this virus is still not understood. It’s understood how it is passed from person to person—social contact, a sneeze, a cough, face-to-face and in hospital settings where there is not adequate infection prevention and control—but how easily this spreads in other circumstances is not known at present.”

China has taken aggressive actions such as locking down cities and imposing isolation to infected individuals to contain the outbreak; and other countries have followed suit. There are governments that have closed their borders. While Y2K at the turn of the century gripped the world for nothing, Covid-19 is real, deadly and dangerous.

What comes to mind is the motto of the Tokyo Olympics that opens on July 24, “United by Emotion.” Covid-19 is a challenge to the human race. As finest athletes of the world congregate to showcase their best, so must our scientists, policy makers, statesmen and those who hold power or influence. They must cease bickering and put up a united front against this “devil” virus. By doing so, we will be victorious.