Our healthcare system has done an astonishing work on contact tracing and testing at community levels thus far. If you compare it with many countries, it is seriously GOLD standard.
Everyday that we SLOW THE SPREAD is a VICTORY FOR OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.
From my youtube channel on coronavirus and economic impact, I realised the lack of awareness and general complacency. That's why this post...
In any case (DISCLAIMER), these are largely my opinions.
Aggressive testing is probably good
Korea is right now aggressively testing. Something like 80,000 a day.
That is why numbers are horrific. They have attacked the situation with the same level urgency as us.
Findings are broadcasted to the population and the level of transparency is admirable (although there are still many who are angry and have signed a petition to impeach the president for mishandling the crisis).
Singapore started aggressive contact tracing early and did thorough testing.
That's why our numbers were bad at the start.
Be wary of countries with low numbers
But don't feel too comfortable travelling to countries with low numbers, the lack of testing in many MANY other countries is a serious issue.
In any case, the numbers will certainly go up in the coming weeks by exponential amounts. This is a virus that spreads and we are learning to cope as a herd. Don't focus too much on absolute numbers.
I've done this video on Thailand which has gotten some hate comments (pointing out to official numbers today). Want to find out, watch below.
Not everyone is aware of how things are done and take numbers on the surface level.
Is contact tracing done?
Is testing done fast and quarantine done diligently?
Enough about Thailand, what about Indonesia and Malaysia....
Vietnam? They have quarantined a whole town of 10,000 but numbers there are so low. Links here
I fear for the outbreak in developing countries. And the local communities there who deserve better education and knowledge about how to handle the epidemic.
What about Japan and USA?
These two are supposedly leading nations yet it feels like they are behind the curve.
Japan has it's eyes on the Olympics. They probably wanted to keep things under control but only just recently has Hokkaido turned to a state of emergency. Too little too late?
As for USA, President Donald Trump has his eyes on election for 2020.
He even tweeted on 25th Feb
"The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!".
**In any case, DJIA lost 3,000 points for the following few days after**
If you want to guess what's going on in USA, listen to this by Dr Matt Mccarthy 2/3/2020 (transcribed partially):
"Before I came here this morning, I was in the emergency room.
I still do not have a rapid diagnostic test available.
CDC has sent to 50 states and said hold up, don't use it...
I don't have it at my finger tips. I still have to call the department of health, I still have to make my case plead to tell people. This is NOT good..." "Do not believe the false reassurance.
Is COVID-19 REALLY like the flu (influenza)?
There had been parallels drawn between the two.
Politicians from many countries have frequently cited them together to play down fear.
But that may be incorrect. Why?
For the flu, we have prevention through vaccines..
We have medicines that reduce complication rates. And shorten the course of it.
Through Antiviral medication like Oseltamivir (Tamiflu). Source Doctor Mike
But for COVID-19 we are behind on the curve for developing a vaccine on it...
That's why the numbers for seriously and critically ill percentages are worse in COVID-19 as compared to flu.
It is a high 13% and 6% as stated here which is published by WHO.
In Singapore as of point of writing on 3mar2020, there are 6 who are critically ill.
If you are keen to insure better, check this plan below.
I took it up recently also.
How contagious is SARS-COV-2?
This segment is largely my personal opinion. Please always double check with your government guidelines.
For this virus SARS-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19), the R0 factor appears (to me) to be very high. We've passed 100,000 in 2 months and numbers grow exponentially.
What is R0 factor? It is how many people an infected person spreads to.
Can't elaborate too much without risking #fakenews issues and only a healthcare person should be giving details.
#Interestingfact, check out my youtube on COVID-19 topic.
If you're in SG, you'd see MOH banner there. If you are using a foreign VPN, you'd may see a WHO banner there. There is censorship on social media.
Anyway, lessons can be learnt from the spread on Diamond princess cruise.
It was prove how viral this can get.
What about Shincheonji Church?
Check on this tweet above by BBC Korea correspondent
1900 tested and the majority were infected.
Disruption to global trade and MANY supply chains
Right now as of writing, china's factories are still pretty much in shut down mode..
Very little pollution going on, nothing is burning, very little is moving....
Check out this cool chart below (source) on nitrogen dioxide levels over china.
China has its hand in like almost every supply chain.
The curfew there will definitely impact and just their but the world's GDP this yea.
They are the world's biggest manufacturer with estimated 20% share.
There are many companies stalling production lines currently like Tesla, Apple, Nintendo...
Watch video below on a full list, it will shock you!
Recommendations for parents in this COVID-19 period!
Travelling now may not be worth it and staying at home feeling bored also is a waste.
Below are two of my favourite from the 8 tips for parents that we shared in our community.
We try to curate for you money values and lessons to impact to your children
If you are keen to join Millionaire Kids group, click here for more!
Conclusion
Don't underestimate how EASY it is to catch the virus.
Singapore has blocked travellers who have visited mainland china in start feb but the next wave of spread may still reach us somehow.
If you are young and fit, know that 80% experience only mild symptoms so don't be anxious about catching the virus. Children based on current numbers seem to be even less affected.
But be really cautious because we are all in contact with an elderly somehow and you can play a part in keeping them safe. They have a much higher risk of case fatality rate.
Everyday we slow the virus spread in the community means an extra day to keep our healthcare load manageable. Then we give those who become severely ill the best chance of recovery.