The day we thought would never come has come.
COVID-19 has officially infected more than 100,000 people.
Yep, it’s true.
And just so you know, the number of people infected with SARS is at 8,098, though the total number of H1N1 is almost up to 1.4 billion people.
So, how did this even happen?
Well, it has to do with the fact that more countries are reporting spikes in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in their own countries.
The United States
According to the officials of United States, 21 people – 19 crew members and two passengers – on board the Grand Princess cruise ship (no, not the one in Japan) that was not allowed to dock in San Francisco have been found to be infected with COVID-19.
The vessel has about 3,400 passengers and crew, and it will be taken to a non-commercial port where everyone on board would be tested.
President Donald Trump signed a bill yesterday to provide US$8.3 billion (~S$11.4 billion) so that testing can be done on more people. The amount will also help to fund other measures to curb the spread of the infection.
The virus has now reached half of the 50 US states and infected more than 250 people. Of which, 15 people have lost their lives to the infection.
But we all know the most serious cases are from…
South Korea
As of the time of writing, South Korea has 6,767 cases after 174 cases were newly confirmed today according to the Korea Centres for Disease and Control and Prevention. 44 people have died in the country due to the infection.
The number of cases spiked in South Korea because of a 61-year-old woman known as “Patient 31” or Crazy Ajumma, who attended church services at the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southeastern city of Daegu and social gatherings despite having symptoms like a fever and a sore throat.
South Korea now has the highest total number of infections outside of China where the virus is said to have originated.
Around 60 countries and regions have taken precautionary measures and have imposed travel bans or quarantine on arrivals from South Korea.
Other Countries
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that every country’s priority should be to contain the epidemic, and raised the example of Iran’s national action plan to battle against the COVID-19 infection after a slow start.
Iran now has more than 1,000 new cases being reported over 24 hours, and its death toll has suddenly spiked to 124.
Furthermore, seven countries reported their first cases on Friday.
One of which is The Vatican. Their first case is a patient in its health services. This is bad because most employees in the walled city-state live in Rome, and those who live in the Vatican often enter or exit the city that surrounds it. This means that the spread of the infection will be even more difficult to curb.
Italy already has 197 deaths from the infection, making it the worst-hit European country thus far.
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According to the WHO, the percentage of confirmed COVID-19 cases who have died is at around 3.4%, which is far higher than the seasonal flu’s fatality rate which is under 1%.
However, do not cast this number to stone as the number of undetected cases could be much higher, which means the fatality rate could be much lower.
Affected Industries
It is a known fact that many businesses have been affected ever since the spread of the COVID-19 infection grew rampant.
Many people are asked to work from home to minimise any large gatherings. Schools are also closed until April. Large gatherings and sports and music events have been cancelled, and more people are panic buying from stores, causing these stores to no longer have stock for staples like toiletries and food.
Supply chains have also been broken around the world.
We all want the COVID-19 infection to go away soon, but perhaps we need to look into taking more precautionary measures to ensure this is the case.
Remember, everyone, if you feel unwell, please do not go out for any more social gatherings and minimise contact with others. Immediately see a doctor.
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Stay safe, guys.
