The cache introduces you some information of 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak. The following descriptions mostly adapt from Wikipedia. Because the situation of COVID-19 renews everyday, some information may not update to the latest news.
(from Wikipedia. 2020.03.10)
The 2019–20 coronavirus disease outbreak is an ongoing global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China in December 2019, and has since been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. As of 11 March 2020, over 119,000 cases have been confirmed globally, of which 5,800 were classified as serious. More than 115 countries and territories have been affected, with major outbreaks in central China, Italy, South Korea, and Iran. More than 4,200 people have died: more than 3,100 in mainland China and over 1,100 in other countries. More than 66,000 people have recovered.
The virus spreads between people in a similar way to influenza, via respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing. The time between exposure and symptom onset is typically five days, but may range from two to fourteen days. Symptoms are most often fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Complications may include pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. There is currently no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment, but research is ongoing. Efforts are aimed at managing symptoms and supportive therapy. Recommended preventive measures include handwashing, maintaining distance from other people (particularly those who are sick), and monitoring and self-isolation for fourteen days for people who suspect they are infected.
Public health responses around the world have included travel restrictions, quarantines, curfews, and school closures. They have included the quarantine of all of Italy and the Chinese province of Hubei; various curfew measures in China and South Korea; screening methods at airports and train stations; and travel advisories regarding regions with community transmission. Schools have closed nationwide or locally in some countries, affecting more than 300 million students.
Worldwide effects of the outbreak include social and economic instability, xenophobia and racism against people of Chinese and East Asian descent, and the online spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories about the virus.
(from Wikipedia, NIAID. SARS-CoV-2 images. Left: SEM; Middle: TEM; Right: cartoon)
About COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a virus closely related to the SARS virus. The disease first emerged in Wuhan, China and was named during the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak. Those affected may develop a fever, dry cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath. A sore throat, runny nose or sneezing is less common. While the majority of cases result in mild symptoms, some can progress to pneumonia and multi-organ failure. The case fatality rate is estimated at between 1% and 3%.
The infection is spread from one person to others via respiratory droplets produced from the airways, often during coughing or sneezing. Time from exposure to onset of symptoms is generally between 2 and 14 days, with an average of 5 days. The standard method of diagnosis is by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) from a nasopharyngeal swab or sputum sample. Antibody assays can also be used, using a blood serum sample, with results within a few days. The infection can also be diagnosed from a combination of symptoms, risk factors, and a chest CT scan showing features of pneumonia.
Hand washing, maintaining distance from other people, and not touching one's face with unwashed hands are measures recommended to prevent the disease. It is also recommended to cover one's nose and mouth with a tissue or a bent elbow when coughing. Masks are recommended for those who suspect they have the virus, and for those who are taking care of someone with a suspected infection, but not for the general public. There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment, with management involving treatment of symptoms, supportive care and experimental measures.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). As of 7 March 2020, evidence of local transmission of the disease has been found in multiple countries across all six WHO regions.
(from Wikipedia)
The Role of Taiwan in the Global Epidemic Prevention
(The following articles is partially translated from Der Tagesspiegel.)
Taiwan was thought to be the most serious area of COVID-19 after the outbreak in China. But the quick action of this island country has turn the tides against the emerging infectious disease.
On March 3rd, the National Health Command Center (NHCC) announced the 42nd confirmed case of COVID-19. Taiwan ranks 20th in those countries with confirmed cases. Many Eropean country, include Germany, was influenced much more than Taiwan.
Taiwan supposed to be the next disease outbreak country after China, accroding to a prediction model made in January. This prediction combined the following statistics:
- Around 1 million Tawanese lived in and travel to China, while 3 million Chinese visited Taiwan every year.
- Most Taiwanese took public transportation everyday, and lived crowded.
Taiwan is well-prepared
With the high risk of COVID-19 outbread, this democratic country prepared better than any other countries. The government took effective actions to keep people live everyday life as usual. People were not panic by following the policies. All the experience of epidemic prevention in Taiwan can help to those countries facing disease outbreaks to save lives.
However, the help from Taiwan was seldom be accepted by national society. The obvious reason is that People's Republic of China (PRC) insist on "One China Policy". They declared that Taiwan was a province of China, and blocked Taiwan from joining in almost every international organizations, including World Health Organization (WHO).
So far, even the world is under the threat of COVID-19 outbreak, the Taiwanese specialists can only provide their exprience to Geneva. On Feburary 11th and 12th, doctors from Taiwan "was permitted" to join the professional forum of epidemic prevention...... thought webcam.
What suppresed the transmission of COVID-19 in Taiwan?
With strongly believing the scientific data and facts, Taiwan successfully prevented COVID-19 outbreak. A team consist of 3 American and 1 Taiwanese researcher reports an article of Taiwan experience on JAMA, which is one of the most important medical journal.
Taiwan has learned a lot from SARS outbreak in 2003, and established a special management institute for infectious disease control. NHCC is communicating station to coordinate all the government units that related to disease prevention.
Taiwan has quick responses
On the last day of 2019, WHO was informed that a kind of unkonwn pneumoniae emerged at Wuhan, China. At the same day, TPE airport has sent the first quarantine inspectors going on the plane coming from Wuhan, to check those passengers with fever and pneumoniae symptoms.
January 5th, the NHCC starts to search all the patients back from Wuhan with fever or upper respiratory tract infection.
Because no available examine method for this emerging unknown disease at that time, the inspectation was focus on excluding the patient with 26 common respiratory viruses, including SARS and MERS. The people who has similar symptom would be quarantine at home. The quarantine inspector would check the patients' healthy and decide hospitalized or not. Few weeks later, those actions expanded and let the holiday of Lunar New Year extended about 2 weeks.
Monitoring the high-risk person
On January 27th, Taiwanese government compared the data of Health Insurance system and data from National Immigration Agency. NHCC built a system to filter out all the people ever staying the high-risk area in the past 14 days.
Next, due to those high-risk people had been quarantined, Taiwan government used personal mobile phone and SMS system to monitoring quarntine conditions. Other than that, they also rationed medical face masks via pharmacies and raised the productivity of stirile alchol solution. How delicate work!
All the press conferences in Taiwan are honest and cutting to the point. The commander of NHCC, Minister Chen, said despite we successfully stoped the potential outbreak in early stage, we might not able to avoid community transmission of COVID-19.
Taiwan never recieves information from WHO
Because of being seen as a part of China, Taiwan was thought a definitily high-risk area. In fact, WHO refused to provide any international assistant to Taiwan without the permission from Peking. Taiwan didn't get any important, updated information from WHO directly. Besides, Taiwan cannot obtain latest news about virus crisis, because those data only shared to the members of United Nations (UN).
No New Cases found in Taiwan Recently
No new cases confirmed in these two days (4-5th March). Almost everyone in Taiwan wears mask in mass transportation system. The public health system in Taiwan is efficient and has been working for years. Every public toilet in train station provides soap and hand sanitizer, and is cleaned by staff.
Overall, Taiwan’s Health Care Index ranks top 1 for many years and also ranks the first in the magazine, CEOworld.
Taiwanese accept precaution measure with low resistance
Taiwan is a democratic country. The president election was held successfully during the period of COVID-19 bursting out. This country stands up against the pandemic disease and makes a success of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Due to the fact of good health care system, until now COVID-19 did not do great impact on Taiwan’s economy. Taiwanese has high acceptance the measures taken and also the responsible government. So far there were no panic happened and no schools, universities or other public facilities were shut down.
The cache was near the location of NHCC. Everyone should appreciate and cherish the safty and peaceful life in Taiwan.
