COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, is the topic on everyone’s minds right now. But what is it and what can you do about it. Here are my thought about it and how the virus has affected my life.
Coronavirus is actually a family of virus. Some can cause the cold while other will evolve. SARS and MERS are all from the coronavirus family. This particular Coronavirus can cause the cold, fever, cough, pneumonia and wheezing. As many other disease, this virus is thought to come from animals and then transmitted to humans. The first known case was from Wuhan, China a few months ago.
It has affected people in China, Japan, Italy, Singapore the USA and many other countries. I basically live in Seattle Washington which was what they are calling ground zero for Coronavirus in the US but has now spread to Oregon, California, Flordia, New York and all across the country.
The King County Library system has closed till April 13th. All Seattle Public Schools are closed until April 27th. All public gatherings of 250 or more people are prohibited. This cancels many major events happening in the area including concerts, conventions and rallies.
So far, the Coronavirus seems to affect people in the high risk category. This includes the elderly or people over 60, pregnant and people with compromised immune systems. There have been cases of the virus affecting others who are not at high risk but so far, this seems to be the main demographic. The incubation period of the virus is about 14 day so you may not show symptoms before this time. There has also just been a case of a woman in her 40’s who has gotten reinfected.
The biggest problem about this virus is we know very little about it. It has killed people. But, so far, it seems as though even though it has affected a lot of people, many have recovered. It also seems to be able to spread very rapidly which is a concern for an unknown threat. Since it is so new, we don’t have a medical antidote to fight the virus.
There are a few things we can do and put into practice to mitigate the chances of us getting the Coronavirus.
- Wash your hands with soap and water three times a day and before eating for at least 20 seconds
- Don’t touch your face
- Avoid touching others
- Practice social distancing or stay six feet or more away from others when possible
- cover your cough or sneeze
- stay home if you are sick
- clean frequently touched surfaces
Along with COVID-19, there are other sicknesses still going around. A method that seems to be in consensus with others to test yourself if you might have it is to hold your breath for ten seconds after you wake up in the morning. It seems to affect the respiratory system, so if you can do this and not have something happen out of the normal, then you probably have another form of illness. If this test reveals something, it is not confirmed but you might have COVID-19 and you should go see your doctor for more information.
I feel that this is a very serious matter that is happening. I also feel there are extreme measures being implemented in the state of Washington and there is a lot of public concern that is warranted. However, with the information that we have so far, I think this has also been potentially blown out of proportion to what it really is. So far, the death rate of people who have COVID-19 is still very low. I also think we are very fortunate, as it seems to target the people at high risk which is a small group of people compared to everyone.
I do feel action is being taken to prevent the spread of the virus. I also feel social distancing and self quarantine is only a temporary solution to slow down the virus. This will slow down the people who may get it from flooding the hospitals. But, I don’t think it will solve the problem. I feel a few months is not enough time for the medical field to come up with a vaccine. So what should we do? I guess that answer is I don’t know.
I do know I was planning a trip to Japan that is now cancelled. I was planning on doing an 11 day tour starting in Kyoto. The tour went to some onsen or hot springs as well as a lot of parks to see the cherry trees blossoming in late march. Along the way, I was going to eat a lot of seafood as Japan is known for their amazing seafood. The tour would end in Tokyo where I was going to spend three to four more days in the city. I wanted to visit the Ghibli Museum and well as the Akihabara shopping district. Well, maybe next year.
I was also planning to go to Emerald City Comic Con which was this weekend which has now been moved to August. I have not been to this convention and I was really excited to attend. I am also planning to go to Sakura-Con on April 10-12th but will most likely be cancelled.
What will the future hold for us? Only time will tell. Will there be a part two to this article? Probably. This is a test for the world and hopefully it is something that we can come out of with only minor cuts and bruises. I just hope that anime never dies.