Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is said to be one of the main novels of viruses that undermines the health and wealth at a global level. Its trait is discovered not to be too remote, compared to its predecessors of Ebola, SARS, HINI, and others in the last ten years.
First, we must establish that these reported pandemics have a consistent trend of air-borne spread, rapidly infected respiratory system of the mass.
Second, the pandemics quickly escalated into crises of the nation and international countries.
Third, as reference for the future, a comprehensive guidelines of procedures and precautions need to be developed and adopted, in event of reiteration of any virus alike.
Three Lessons we could gain from COVID-19 Saga.
- COORDINATION BETWEEN EXPERTS AND AUTHORITIES.
We acknowledge of interconnectedness of the people in a nation, region and the world. Health crises should not be facilitated based on a one-man show. Beijing sensitized the flow of information when they discovered COVID-19. Medical practitioners and journalist were zipped from making statements. Any delay in the release of information has a negative influence. Fearing of negative publicity, China had not devised communication strategies in bridging the citizens and healthcare workers. Information was late at the receiving ends. Panics arose from the public, which forced them to leave Wuhan.
Authoritarian coordination from Beijing deprives Wuhan’s Mayor (Zhou Xianwang) to exercise precautionary measures in alarming the citizens.
In Malaysia, experts have foreseen the grave impact to the nation. However, authorities choose to act proportionately by aligning to the directive of WHO and reported cases. It was only when WHO declares COVID-19 as a pandemic, authorities began to exercise public control. By then COVID-19 has spread to Europe and across Asia.
Question needs to be answered: Is the political turmoil in Malaysia derailed its focus towards COVID-19 for 9 days?
- TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT
South Korea tackles COVID-19 without imposing areas lockdown. Miraculously, the country of 50 million residents recorded a sharp decrease of new infected cases. As per March 17, only 74 cases reported on a daily basis down from 909 cases in February 29th.
Its technology advancement can be categorized from two aspects of implementation:
- rapid and wide testing mechanism; South Korea managed to test more than 270,000 residents (5,200 tests per million pax), far more larger that the U.S. (74 tests per million pax). While the testing is not even 5% of its entire residents, it manages to disrupt the chain of infection throughout. Identified patients were immediately quarantined, and the authorities immediately able to trace closed contacts.
- contact tracing exercise; with wide use of CCTV, and AI (credit cards, metro cards and telecommunication devices), surrounding contacts of identified patients will be identified, informed and ushered to medical examination. The process happens at a high speed, as notifications are communicated by mobile phones.
The herculean effort to investigate a massive cluster of more than 5000 cases—60% of the nation’s total—linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a secretive, messianic megachurch, is winding down.
2. ATTITUDES AND MENTALITY OF THE MASS
The mass serves as a big junk of the success. Top-down approach will not be successful if it is not cooperated at the receiving ends. COVID-19 enters into the global sphere when travel ban was not imposed by Beijing at early stage. The effects of 2020 Lunar New Year celebration is the catalyst to a sharp increase of virus transmission, as 5 millions have left Wuhan prior official lockdown.
China is on its way to be stabilized. For the last 24 hours, only 34 new cases reported world wide. We believe that is a good sign.
In Italy, the panic has resulted into people of the red zone area (North Italy) to leave before official lockdown was announced. The virus has spread outside of the contaminated area, thus, containment perimeter has to be broaden. At the moment, Italy is observing national lockdown to prevent the virus from exacerbating the mass.
For record as of March 19th, 35,713 cases have been reported with 2,978 deaths. Italy is the first in ranked for countries outside China that are severely impacted.
Malaysia follows the trend. On the eve of Restricted Movement Order (RMO) implementation, major highways were reported on high traffic for urban outbound. Police stations were struck by the mass due to the regulation to obtain traveling permits. As a result, the RMO inter-state has to be delayed for the next 24 hours. It is reported that117 new cases were reported on the first day of RMO, totaling to 790 cases up to March 18.
We have grounds to believe the numbers to be increasing. We urge all stakeholders (authorities and the mass) to review all lessons and to develop a comprehensive work flow to prevent similar catastrophe in the near future. COVID-19 proves we are not prone to global pandemics.
We urge all stakeholders (authorities and the mass) to review all lessons and to develop a comprehensive work flow to prevent similar catastrophe in the near future. COVID-19 proves we are not prone to global pandemics.
