–Brief–
World Coronavirus Outbreak
3 minute starting point 📖
6 questions to research 💭
6 ideas to participate 💡
Spring 2020
World Coronavirus Outbreak
3 minute starting point 📖
6 questions to research 💭
6 ideas to participate 💡
Spring 2020
Background
A previously-unknown virus emerged in late 2019.
There are seven types, or strains, of coronavirus.
The virus is being called different names. Here's what they mean:
- The outbreak of a new, or novel, virus began in Wuhan, China.
- Confirmed as a coronavirus, infection from the virus can cause illness of the respiratory, or breathing, system.
- Its origins are unconfirmed and speculated.
There are seven types, or strains, of coronavirus.
- Four circulate regularly among humans, resulting in the common cold.
- Three are less common and more complex, including SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and this new strain.
- SARS-CoV-2 is the strain and Covid-19 is the infection, or disease, the virus can cause.
- These terms are created by the World Health Organization (WHO).
- The WHO is an office within the United Nations office that figures out how the world does health. 🇺🇳🩺
The virus is being called different names. Here's what they mean:
- Pathogen is an organism that causes illness, like a virus, parasite, or bacteria.
- Contagion is the spread of a pathogen.
- Disease is when a virus causes infection and illness.
- Outbreak is when a virus spreads to a small group in one population.
- Epidemic is when a virus spreads to a large group in one or some populations.
- Pandemic is when a virus spreads to groups in many or most populations.
- Endemic is when a virus becomes recurring but controllable, like the cold and flu.
What happened
China contained the virus with mandatory lockdown and digital surveillance. But not before it travelled to other populations.
As the virus spreads, reactions of communities and economies are mixed.
Subject-matter experts are sharing facts. Everyone else is sharing opinions.
For the spread of virus and disease, subject-matter experts include:
- By February, other countries experienced outbreaks, including South Korea, Iran, and Italy. By March, more countries experienced outbreaks, including Europe, North America, and South America.
- Chinese scientists sequenced the virus and shared it with scientists in other countries to begin studying it. 🔬
- Sequencing means figuring out the chemical composition, or building blocks, of the virus to do things like create treatments and vaccines. 🧬
- Cases are being tracked and showing low mortality rates, decreasing infections, and high recovery in the first-affected countries.
- Some critics are questioning the use of real-time reports for distorting facts.
As the virus spreads, reactions of communities and economies are mixed.
- Some people were picking up resources if they need to stay home for two weeks as a precaution and others started stockpiling out of panic.
- Public companies, or companies that sell stock in, or parts of, its business in a "market" to create wealth for itself and its investors, dropped in value due to coronavirus impact and other reasons.
Subject-matter experts are sharing facts. Everyone else is sharing opinions.
For the spread of virus and disease, subject-matter experts include:
- Scientists including epidemiologists (scientists who study diseases), virologists (scientists who study viruses), and biochemists (scientists who study the chemistry of living organisms)
- Public-health officials (doctors who work for the government on health policies, or rules)
- Ontario's public-health officer is Dr. David Williams
- Canada's public-health officer is Dr. Theresa Tam
- Healthcare workers including medical doctors, physician assistants, and nurses
- Journalists who report on health, science, and economics
Scarlett C., Grimsby | proactivecitizen.org
What's next
Soap kills the virus instantly.
Scientists are developing a vaccine.
Canadian researchers are creating labs-in-a-box.
Containment and eradication of the virus is unlikely. But the first-affected populations are recovering.
Extensive testing is a powerful tool to fight viruses. But there's been supply shortages.
Citizens are strategically helping to flatten the curve. But there are downsides.
Humans naturally respond to crisis by creating false stories. And it causes unnecessary panic.
- A science reporter at Vox explains how soap breaks down and destroys virus particles, calling soap "badass" but needing 20 seconds of lathering "to do its chemical work". 🧼
- Particles of the virus can disappear instantly after hand washing and can last on surfaces for three days. Healthy people who become infected are said to recover after 14 days of isolation. ⏰
Scientists are developing a vaccine.
- Drugmakers, or pharmaceutical companies, are trying to create vaccines quicker but scientists are flagging the risks of moving too quickly without properly testing. ⚠️
Canadian researchers are creating labs-in-a-box.
- A research project in Toronto created a technology that can test for diseases quickly. Funded by the International Development Research Centre, it‘s creating a version of the technology that's accessible to more people.
- The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is a federal government agency in Ottawa that invests in Canadian research and development. 📑🧪
Containment and eradication of the virus is unlikely. But the first-affected populations are recovering.
- A health and medicine reporter at STAT outlines the situation's likely end: the virus becomes endemic, which means it returns seasonally and is treated like the cold and flu.
- As societies and nature come closer together, containing viruses could remain an ongoing priority in order to keep societies and nature healthy and safe. 🌆🏞
Extensive testing is a powerful tool to fight viruses. But there's been supply shortages.
- Italy and South Korea experienced outbreaks that occurred around the same time, and their responses have been compared.
- Though not entirely fair or accurate to compare populations, South Korea has been testing and isolating more citizens quickly through lockdown and technology and experiencing less outbreak, infection, and illness.
- At the same time, Italian engineers are getting creative with making more supplies. 🖨
Citizens are strategically helping to flatten the curve. But there are downsides.
- Democratic nations are encouraging social distancing and self isolation while organizations are suspending and postponing events and gatherings, asking employees and students to stay home as a precaution. 🏠
- China, a nation whose citizens have less authority than citizens in democratic nations, enforced strict and mandatory quarantines and surveillance, which was applauded for its effectiveness, questioned for its invasion of privacy, and criticized for causing spike in domestic violence.
- Historical data shows that lockdown works well to stop the spread of virus but can impact the emotional and economic wellbeing of communities.
Humans naturally respond to crisis by creating false stories. And it causes unnecessary panic.
- An American professor studying online rumours and crisis information processing explains how people come together to make sense of uncertainty.
- The professor warns that the world is facing a pandemic, and an infodemic: the uncontrollable spread of false information. ⚠️
Questions to research
* How are frontline workers in healthcare and essential services being cared for?
* How will this affect supply chains, or the production and distribution of goods?
* Why are cases numbers reportedly inaccurate and why was the discovery of the virus downplayed at first?
* Why did America cut funding for disease research and why is there a delay getting test kits to people?
* How will this impact the way people work and the future of mom-and-pops shops in our communities?
* What are the long term impacts, positive and negative, of social isolation and physical distancing?
* How will this affect supply chains, or the production and distribution of goods?
* Why are cases numbers reportedly inaccurate and why was the discovery of the virus downplayed at first?
* Why did America cut funding for disease research and why is there a delay getting test kits to people?
* How will this impact the way people work and the future of mom-and-pops shops in our communities?
* What are the long term impacts, positive and negative, of social isolation and physical distancing?
Ideas to participate
Ignore headlines. Read articles instead.💡
Goto the source. 💡
Get answers to complex questions. 💡
Self-isolate like a boss. 💡
Create hand-washing rituals. 💡
Take care of each other. 💡
- Journalists make complex information easy to understand, but it can be difficult to know who to trust, and it's tiring. Here's a quick guide:
- Balance television watching and radio listening with article reading. Written media is edited more critically than broadcast media, especially if the broadcast is live.
- Read full articles because they are often less dramatic and more informative than headlines, which are created to encourage people to read the story.
- Review other news sources to fact check information before deciding an opinion. To be on the safe side, consume news created in your city, province, and country for information that is relevant to you, or, only read news from subject-matter experts (ie: if the story is about science, check that the reporter is a science reporter.)
- Check the bias of a news source with this media-bias-checker, the claim in a story with this truth-checker, and don't believe everything you see on social media.
Goto the source. 💡
- Get updates for your community by searching yourcityname.ca (ie: toronto.ca, hamilton.ca, stcatharines.ca, niagarafalls.ca, welland.ca).
- Get updates and guidelines for Ontario from Ontario Public Health, the province's office of public health.
- Get updates and guidelines for Canada from Public Health Agency of Canada, the country's office of public health.
- Get updates and guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), America's office of public health, and one of the most advanced offices in the world.
- Get updates and guidelines from the World Health Organization, the world's office of public health. Bonus: the WHO created a TikTok account to prevent misinformation and updates a digital situation tracker regularly.
Get answers to complex questions. 💡
- The health reporter at The Globe & Mail is finding and publishing easy answers to complex questions, with the help of subject-matter experts, geared toward Canadians.
- A science reporter at Ars Technica is finding and publishing detailed answers to complex questions, with the help of subject-matter experts, geared toward science enthusiasts.
- A statistics reporter at Maclean’s is finding and publishing daily updates on cases for Canada through various charts and with explanations for each, geared toward Canadians.
Self-isolate like a boss. 💡
- Review at-home hygiene best practices, boost your immunity the Harvard way, start a book club and tour museums virtually, or do what nonna says and wash the windows.
- Teach yourself how to invest in the stock market. Pick a service provider (most have customer service to get started) or call your banking provider to DIY at home. File your taxes.
Create hand-washing rituals. 💡
- A British computer programmer created a tool that designs the official hand-washing guide with the lyrics to your favourite song.
- Hand-washing is a slow, sacred practice in world religions accompanied by prayer. Yet, only 19% of the world reportedly washes their hands after going to the bathroom. Holy gross.
Take care of each other. 💡
- "Protect the vulnerable and keep them safe."
- "Be careful, calm, and make an extra effort to support small businesses."
- "Look into each other's eyes for a second longer and smile."
The best way out is always through.
–Robert Frost