Global Response to COVID-19 Expands to 30 Countries
24 February 2020
WASHINGTON (AGN News) – The novel coronavirus or COVID-19 as it is called, has now taken on a sense of urgency in nearly every country in the world, more specifically, over 30 countries.
From the US, Australia, Italy (219 cases), Russia, South Korea (833 cases) Switzerland, and France, there is an “all hands on deck” approach to try to contain the virus.
The World Health Organization has warned over this weekend that the “window of opportunity is narrowing” to try to contain the virus.
As a result of the WHO announcement, the People’s Bank of China has taken the unprecedented step of cleaning their banknotes, literally laundering the cash. China is using ultraviolet light or high temperatures to clean their money, then seal the cash away for one to two weeks before releasing it back into circulation. It is believed that this method will kill the virus on money.
All banks in China are now required to remove banknotes from circulation, disinfect it, remove it for up to 14 days, destroy old notes, and or issue new banknotes to citizens. They believe this will be an effective way to help contain the virus.
Iran is closing public spaces like schools, universities, and cultural centers in an effort to control the novel coronavirus outbreak, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Afghanistan and Armenia announced on Sunday that they were closing their borders to Iran as 12 deaths were reported in the Islamic Republic on Sunday.
Russia has imposed restrictions on Chinese citizens who want to enter Russia. Cruise ships are being denied docking rights at Asian ports to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Kenya has reportedly informed its citizens in Wuhan, China that there will be no government sponsored flights to bring them home. South Korea has shifted from preventing the spread of COVID-19 into the country to implementing steps to contain the spread.
In Hong Kong a group of 59 police officials attended an event where one officer was found to have been diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus, requiring all of the officers to be quarantined for some 14 days.
In over 30 countries, COVID-19 has become a real challenge as some countries do not have the capacity to screen for and isolate those who have it. This makes containment an ineffective approach. Even countries where the desire to contain the virus is very strong, they may not have to proper protocols in place the make a difference.
The World Health Organization has called COVID-19 a global health emergency, but it has not called it a pandemic since human-to-human transmission have only occurred in China. If human-to-human transmission becomes a “sustained” event in multiple locations, then it is likely to be labeled a pandemic.
The World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom said, “Does this virus have pandemic potential? Absolutely. Are we there yet? From our assessment, not yet,†he said, adding that “we must focus on containment, while doing everything we can to prepare for a potential pandemic.â€
“Our decision about whether to use the word ‘pandemic’ to describe an epidemic is based on an ongoing assessment of the geographical spread of the virus, the severity of disease it causes and the impact it has on the whole of society,†the World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom said Monday.
On the economic front, China’s COVID-19 virus has “slowed” output of parts and services that the global economy depends on. This has had a negative impact on global supply chains. This disruption has affected production or repair of everything from auto parts, appliances, textiles, watches, and even fantasy gaming platforms.
While masks are an effective way to contain COVID-19, one of the best ways to help this containment is by washing hands and covering the mouth when coughing.
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Written by
AGN News Team
