(Original Article by Sophia Morena Tauxe - Photo by Al Jazeera)
Throughout human history, one thing has wreaked havoc for many, disease. Various illnesses have destroyed civilizations and entire communities, leaving devastation in its wake. From AIDS to Cholera, The Spanish Flu to Polio and the Plague, humans have had to bear many seemingly unexplainable disease and starting December of 2019, we have been faced with another: The infamous Coronavirus or COVID-19.
On the 12th of February, 2020. The novel coronavirus (NCov) was named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) while the disease associated with it is now referred to as COVID-19. It is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. It is an infectious disease that causes respiratory illness with symptoms such as a cough, fever and has been known to cause pneumonia and bronchitis.
In December 2019, the disease was first detected in Wuhan, China, and led to a quick outbreak of coronavirus disease in 2019. By the 30th of January, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a public health emergency of international concern. This concern ramped up by the disease being seemingly near-identical to the 2003 Epidemic SARS-COV, the two have nearly 86% the same traits. Live animal markets selling multiple species of wild and domestic animals, specifically bats and pangolins, In proximity to large populations of densely housed humans are thought to be the source of both outbreaks.
As the virus circulates the globe and infects more and more people each day, the numbers are rising. As of this article, there are 134,930 cases, with 4,990 deaths. 53 of these cases have been recorded in the Philippines along with 5 deaths. As the figures pile up we start to see that the virus primarily debilitates elder people and people with respiratory problems. As a result, countries with a major elderly population like Italy have been severely affected, with the death toll surging past 1000.
As of now, You, fellow Perpetualite, you can protect yourself by washing your hands frequently and avoiding touching your face. While wearing face masks has become a trend, many medical experts urge against it, as it will not significantly reduce the likelihood of getting any infectious disease and would actually be more harmful to a healthy person. President Rodrigo Duterte has issued an order to prevent travel to and from the capital city Manila, lasting for a period of 30 days. Many experts firmly agree with this decision, citing that extraordinary measures are necessary for this scenario.
For now, we can only do our best to follow health guidelines and avoid large crowds. These kinds of diseases have come and gone and while we will certainly face set-backs and will lose a great many individuals in the wake of the virus, humanity has prevailed in the past against diseases far more deadly than this one and it will prevail once more.
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