Sunday, March 15, 2020

Coronavirus News (5)



South Korea’s coronavirus response is the opposite of China and Italy – and it’s working Seoul’s handling of the outbreak emphasises transparency and relies heavily on public cooperation in place of hardline measures such as lockdowns ........... With about 8,000 confirmed cases and more than 65 deaths, it was until recently the country with the most confirmed cases outside China – but South Korea has since emerged as a source of inspiration and hope for authorities around the world as they scramble to fight the pandemic........ a highly coordinated government response that has emphasised transparency and relied heavily on public cooperation in place of hardline measures such as lockdowns ...... South Korea has not restricted people’s movements – not even in Daegu, the southeastern city at the centre of the country’s outbreak. ........ authorities have focused mandatory quarantine on infected patients and those with whom they have come into close contact, while advising the public to stay indoors, avoid public events, wear masks and practise good hygiene........ while numerous countries have imposed sweeping travel bans – including the US, which has introduced dramatic restrictions on travel from Europe – Seoul has instead introduced “special immigration procedures” for heavily affected countries such as China, requiring travellers to undergo temperature checks, provide verified contact information and fill out health questionnaires. ....... [South Korea’s] approach seems less dramatic and more usable by other countries, compared with that used in mainland China ...... The linchpin of South Korea’s response has been a testing programme that has screened more people per capita for the virus than any other country by far. By carrying out up to 15,000 tests per day, health officials have been able to screen some 250,000 people – about one in every 200 South Koreans – since January......... To encourage participation, testing is free for anyone referred by a doctor or displaying symptoms after recent contact with a confirmed case or travel to China. For anyone simply concerned about the risk of infection, the cost is a relatively affordable 160,000 won (US$135). Testing is available at hundreds of clinics, as well as some 50 drive-through testing stations that took their inspiration from past counterterrorism drills and can screen suspected patients in minutes. ......... “This country has a universal health-coverage system for the whole population and the economic burden for testing is very low,” said Kim Dong-hyun, president of the Korean Society of Epidemiology. “Tests are conducted for free if you have proper symptoms.”.......... The massive volume of data collected has enabled the authorities to pinpoint clusters of infection to better target their quarantine and disinfection efforts, and send members of the public text-message alerts to inform them of the past movements of infected patients in their area – even down to the names of shops and restaurants they visited....... the fatality rate of which has diverged significantly from about 5 per cent in Italy to about 0.8 per cent in South Korea. ...... In the United States, where the authorities are unable to confirm the number of tests since they are being carried out by a patchwork of federal, state and private laboratories, the total was estimated to be fewer than 5,000 ....... South Korea is not unique in claiming some success in its fight against the virus. Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, informed by past outbreaks such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Mers, have managed to keep confirmed cases low while eschewing the sort of draconian measures implemented in mainland China.......... Early on, Hong Kong took some of the most comprehensive steps to implement “social distancing” ....... South Korea .. The largest cluster of cases in the country is linked to a secretive religious sect, Shincheonji, members of which have been accused of negligently spreading the virus as well as evading medical follow-ups and testing. ........ In addressing the Covid-19 outbreak, sound decision-making should not be about making a choice between maximised protection and minimal disruption. ....... China effectively barred 60 million people in Wuhan – ground zero of the outbreak – and the rest of the province of Hubei from leaving their homes, while restricting the movements of hundreds of millions of others across the country by shutting down public transport, banning private cars and setting up roadblocks. ....... “Most democracies value human rights and freedoms … [not] the degree of social control we’ve seen in China. South Korea offers a better model.” ....... In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday announced a lockdown of the entire Metro Manila region and its 12.8 million people. ....... “The more transparently and quickly accurate information is provided, the more the people will trust the government,” he said. “They will act rationally for the good of the community at large.” ....... Some experts caution that it is too early to tell if South Korea truly has the virus under control. The discovery of a new cluster of about 100 infections at a call centre in densely populated Seoul prompted a sudden uptick in cases on Wednesday, raising fears the virus could be on the verge of spreading uncontrollably nationwide.

Amid coronavirus pandemic, India faces another danger Shaken by the incident, she wrote on Instagram: “The woman was making comments directed towards us suggesting we are Chinese. And when I confronted her she started to scream at us. This can happen to anyone from the Northeast”. ........ Pachau, a 24-year-old student at the University of Delhi, said he was harassed while on the way to college. ..... “I was just getting on the metro when a group of young men started pointing at me and saying ‘Corona virus aagaye’ [coronavirus has come here],” he said. ....... even politicians have spread fake news. Last month, Shweta Shalini, a politician from his Bharatiya Janata Party tweeted an article that claimed China was seeking court approval to kill 20,000 Covid-19 patients......... the amount of misinformation being spread on social media was almost impossible to counter. ....... According to official figures, India has reported only 100 infections and two deaths. The real number could be much higher given the virus’ ability to spread undetected from people with mild or no symptoms. ....... The following day, India reported its first coronavirus death as authorities ordered schools, theatres and cinemas closed in New Delhi for the rest of the month in a bid to keep the pandemic at bay.

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