CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19) AND UNEXPECTED WORLD HEALTH CRISIS
Md. Zahidul Islam,1 Rabeya Anzum,*2 Md. Norullah3 Asma Jahan4
1 Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah (Faculty) of Laws, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Email: zahidul@iium.edu.my
2 Postgraduate Student, Kulliyyah (faculty) of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Email: rabeyaanzum@gmail.com
3 Postgraduate Student, Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws (AIKOL), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Malaysia. Email: norullah92@gmail.com
4LL.B, LLM, University of Dhaka. Bangladesh. Email: jahan_asma@yahoo.com
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ABSTRACT |
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Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Disease; World; Health; Crisis; WHO; |
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Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus and it has created unexpected world crisis which never happen after second world war. On 30 January 2020, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of COVID-19 to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and issued a set of Temporary Recommendations. There is a new public health crisis threatening the world with the emergence and spread of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) or the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus originated in bats and was transmitted to humans through yet unknown intermediary animals in Wuhan, Hubei province, China in December 2019. The objective of the paper is to identify the reason to spread COVID-19 and to identify the possible solution to prevent COVID-19. It is a qualitative research. The information has collected studying articles, books and newspapers. People can recover from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Catching the new coronavirus does not mean you will have it for life. Most of the people who catch COVID-19 can recover and eliminate the virus from their bodies.
Publisher All rights reserved. |
INTRODUCTION
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). These viruses were originally transmitted from animals to people. SARS, for instance, was transmitted from civet cats to humans while MERS moved to humans from a type of camel. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans Under an electron microscope, the virus looks like it is surrounded by a solar corona. The novel coronavirus, identified by Chinese authorities on January 7 and since named SARS-CoV-2, is a new strain that had not been previously identified in humans. Little is known about it, although human-to-human transmission has been confirmed. Countries around the world are scrambling to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic(Bai, Y., Yao, L., Wei, T., Tian, F., Jin, D. Y., Chen, L., & Wang, 2020).
As of May 22, more than 323412 people worldwide have died of COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. The number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 has exceeded 4.9 million, according to data compiled by World Health Organization (“Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic,” 2020).
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
The objective of the paper are:
(i) to identify the reason to spread COVID-19 and
(ii) to identify the possible solution to prevent COVID-19.
METHODOLOGY
It is a qualitative research. The information has collected studying articles, books and newspapers. This paper also collected data base on World Health Organization (WHO) website.
DISCUSSION
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that can cause disease in both animals and humans. The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus strain known as SARS-CoV is an example of a coronavirus. SARS spread rapidly in 2002–2003. The new strain of coronavirus is called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus causes coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). The recent outbreak began in Wuhan, a city in the Hubei province of China. Reports of the first COVID-19 cases started in December 2019(Pan, L., Mu, M., Yang, P., Sun, Y., Wang, R., Yan, J., ... & Jin, 2020).
Coronaviruses are common in certain species of animals, such as cattle and camels. Although the transmission of coronaviruses from animals to humans is rare, this new strain likely came from bats, though one study suggests pangolins may be the origin. However, it remains unclear exactly how the virus first spread to humans. Some reports trace the earliest cases back to a seafood and animal market in Wuhan. It may have been from here that SARS-CoV-2 started to spread to humans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that all people wear cloth face masks in public places where it is difficult to maintain a 6-foot (2-meter) distance from others. This will help slow the spread of the virus from asymptomatic people and people who do not know that they have contracted it (Day, 2020). People should wear cloth face masks while continuing to practice physical distancing. SARS-CoV-2 spreads from person to person through close communities. When people with COVID-19 breathe out or cough, they expel tiny droplets that contain the virus. These droplets can enter the mouth or nose of someone without the virus, causing an infection to occur (Pan, L., Mu, M., Yang, P., Sun, Y., Wang, R., Yan, J., ... & Jin, 2020).
The most common way that this illness spreads is through close contact with someone who has the infection. Close contact is within around 6 feet. The disease is most contagious when a person’s symptoms are at their peak. However, it is possible for someone without symptoms to spread the virus. A new study suggests that 10% of infections are from people exhibiting no symptoms (Rothan, H. A., & Byrareddy, 2020).
Droplets containing the virus can also land on nearby surfaces or objects. Other people can pick up the virus by touching these surfaces or objects. Infection is likely if the person then touches their nose, eyes, or mouth. It is important to note that COVID-19 is new, and research is still ongoing. There may also be other ways that the new coronavirus can spread (Jin, X., Lian, J. S., Hu, J. H., Gao, J., Zheng, L., Zhang, Y. M., ... & Yu, 2020).
To suppress the spreading of COVID-19, World Health Organization (WHO) estimates a requisition of US$ 1.7 billion until December 2020. WHO’s financial ask is in addition to what Governments are requiring against their National Action Plans and national Strategic preparedness and response plan (SPRPs). The resources will be used to implement priority public health measures in support of countries to prepare and respond to coronavirus outbreaks, as well as to ensure continuation of essential health services, as outlined in the Strategy released on 14 April. According to WHO requirements many countries and organizations contributed to WHO but this contribution amount is still below to WHO’s estimated requirements. It covers only 36.9% of total estimated amount. Still World Health Organization (WHO) needs US$ 928.4m which is 53.8 percent of total amount (“Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) donors & partners: WHO says thank you!,” 2020).
Source: WHO website
Following countries contributed to World Health Organization (WHO).
|
Donor |
Funding received US$ |
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African Development Bank |
2 000 000 |
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Australia |
1 677 086 |
|
Austria |
2 171 553 |
|
Azerbaijan |
10 000 000 |
|
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation |
10 978 040 |
|
Canada |
12 889 063 |
|
Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) |
20 000 000 |
|
China |
50 100 000 |
|
Côte d'Ivoire |
439 351 |
|
COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund |
91 905 276 |
|
Czech Republic |
258 176 |
|
Denmark |
8 735 565 |
|
Estonia |
108 578 |
|
European Commission |
68 629 452 |
|
Finland |
1 103 753 |
|
France |
1 098 901 |
|
Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance |
5 641 547 |
|
Germany |
30 833 732 |
|
Guinea |
193 670 |
|
Holy See |
111 720 |
|
Ireland |
7 439 039 |
|
Italy |
454 545 |
|
Japan |
47 500 000 |
|
King Baudouin Foundation |
3 250 000 |
|
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
10 000 000 |
|
Kuwait |
60 000 000 |
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Liechtenstein |
320 513 |
|
Luxembourg |
219 780 |
|
New Zealand |
1 258 685 |
|
Norway |
2 488 248 |
|
Novartis International AG |
499 690 |
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OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) |
500 000 |
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Republic of Korea |
3 300 000 |
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Republic of Slovenia |
67 873 |
|
Singapore |
500 000 |
|
Slovakia |
220 507 |
|
Switzerland |
698 538 |
|
United Kingdom |
104 064 647 |
|
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) |
928 753 |
|
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) |
1 498 155 |
|
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
1 795 247 |
|
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) |
21 400 |
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United States |
30 289 300 |
|
Viet Nam |
50 000 |
|
Vital Strategies/Resolve to Save Lives |
749 925 |
|
World Bank |
42 535 577 |
In addition, the following donors have pledged further support to WHO: Alwaleed Foundation, Australia, Cyprus, Denmark, European Commission, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Norway, Pacific Island Health Officers’ Association, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, and United States.
FINDING
Finding effective ways to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 remains a global challenge. Many viruses are preventable through antiviral vaccinations. However, it takes time to develop and distribute safe and effective vaccines. A vaccine for COVID-19 is unlikely to be available any time soon.
According to WHO the best way to prevent COVID-19 from spreading is by taking some simple precautions (“Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public,” 2020):
- Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.
- Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and others. When someone coughs, sneezes, or speaks they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person has the disease.
- Avoid going to crowded places. Where people come together in crowds, you are more likely to come into close contact with someone that has COIVD-19 and it is more difficult to maintain physical distance of 1 metre (3 feet).
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth. Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and infect you.
- Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately and wash your hands. Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene, you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.
- Stay home and self-isolate even with minor symptoms such as cough, headache, mild fever, until you recover. Have someone bring you supplies. If you need to leave your house, wear a mask to avoid infecting others. Avoiding contact with others will protect them from possible COVID-19 and other viruses.
- If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention, but call by telephone in advance if possible and follow the directions of your local health authority. National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.
- Keep up to date on the latest information from trusted sources, such as WHO or your local and national health authorities. Local and national authorities are best placed to advise on what people in your area should be doing to protect themselves.
CONCLUSION
Prevention of spreading of COVID-19 is a challenge for the present world. COVID-19 spreads from person to person through close communities. To stop its spread, people must avoid close contact. So that most of the countries are declared Movement control Order (MCO) or lockdown to stop spreading COVID-19. It will not possible for the developing countries to continue lockdown for a long time. It is a big challenge for the developing countries because most of the people of developing countries are living below poverty line. In this case, they must go to work to earn their breads, and it is big a threat to their health. Although most of the countries announces stimulus packages for their citizen, but it is not enough for them. In this case, developed countries have to play an important role.
REFERENCES
Bai, Y., Yao, L., Wei, T., Tian, F., Jin, D. Y., Chen, L., & Wang, M. (2020). Presumed asymptomatic carrier transmission of COVID-19. Jama, 123(14), 1406–1407.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public. (2020). Retrieved May 22, 2020, from World Health Organization website: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) donors & partners: WHO says thank you! (2020).
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. (2020). Retrieved May 22, 2020, from World Health Organization website: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIle2bx-LI6QIVy9aWCh0YjwkyEAAYASAAEgJS8PD_BwE
Day, M. (2020). Covid-19: identifying and isolating asymptomatic people helped eliminate virus in Italian village. BMJ, 368, m1165.
Jin, X., Lian, J. S., Hu, J. H., Gao, J., Zheng, L., Zhang, Y. M., ... & Yu, G. D. (2020). Epidemiological, clinical and virological characteristics of 74 cases of coronavirus-infected disease 2019 (COVID-19) with gastrointestinal symptoms. Gut, 69(6), 1002–1009.
Pan, L., Mu, M., Yang, P., Sun, Y., Wang, R., Yan, J., ... & Jin, Y. (2020). Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients with digestive symptoms in Hubei, China: a descriptive, cross-sectional, multicenter study. The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 115.
Rothan, H. A., & Byrareddy, S. N. (2020). The epidemiology and pathogenesis of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. Journal of Autoimmunity, 102433.