简体中文
By APD writer Imdad Hussain
The countries world over are lifting economy-crippling movement restrictions, aimed at curbing coronavirus infections, everyone’s mind is occupied with second wave fears. The concern is that, once quelled, the pandemic will resurface with renewed strength increasing infections and subsequent lockdowns.
According to the World Health Organization the second wave is inevitableas this could spread in our societies as local virus and it doesn’t appear to go away like the HIV virus, however, some experts question its inevitability while on the other hand such medicines has been found in due course to successfully treat some viruses and the life goes on.
That is why the world health body has recommended lifting movement restrictions in stages to test the effect of each before moving to greater openness as experts say, the key to keeping infections low without locking down everyone is to scale up testing and contact tracing.
However, the new cases in the pockets of Asia and the US have added to these fears. In the US, just weeks after parts of it began reopening, coronavirus infections are on the upswing in several states including Arizona, Utah, Texas and Florida while questions are being asked whether it is second wave though the first one is not yet over since peaking at around 31,000 average new daily cases on April 10, steadying around 22,000 over the last four weeks.
And in China’s Jilin province, on the border with Russia, dozens of cases were detected there in May, a month after China’s first lockdown ended in far-away Wuhan. By early June that outbreak was under control and normal life was resumingbut more recently, China reported its highest daily number of new coronavirus cases, mostly domestic infections, in months with parts of Beijing under lockdown whileSouth Korea, which began easing its social distancing measures in April, suspended plans for further relaxation in June as new infections emergedand Iran too is new upsurge in cases - offering a second wave warning to the rest of the world.
Some experts have forecast a potential second wave of coronavirus cases and deaths next fall that may be even more devastating than the current crisis. This frightening thought means we still need to be vigilant and continue to follow safe guidelines to prevent a second pandemic.
German experts opine that until 60 or 70 per cent of world population is affected and acquired immunity against corona virus, the threat of second wave and even third wave would remain while WHO also expressed similar views saying majority of the population is exposed to Covid-19.
It is imperative to continue life activities with changes in lifestyle despite the pandemic. As some businesses, airlines, schools, hotels and even sports activities have resumed under new set of rules but we needto follow safe guidelines to prevent a second pandemic.
In such a situation, we must be extra careful as complacency could lead to increased threats if we have to opt for more lockdowns – first and foremost – public health would be at greater risk sans business activity.
The continued closure of educational institutions in countries where online education opportunities are limited irreparable loss could be caused to future generations, further adding to the economic liabilities.
Furthermore, economic shutdowns have already rendered alarmingly high numbers of people unemployed worldwide, forcing the institutions to cut down their salaries and if the second wave strikes with more severity it would have multiplier effect.
And more importantly, it would trigger the already rising poverty and worsen the food availability, giving rise to famine like situation as the United Nations has repeatedly warned about the obtaining situation.
Until an effective and safe vaccine emerges, we need to live with and manage this virus like a number of nations including China and New Zealand and do not take the threat of second of the pandemic lightly and must remember that in case of Spanish flu, its second wave was deadlier.
The Spanish flu first identified in the US military personnel in spring 1918, infected about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population, killing at least 50 million worldwide--- reported cases dropping off over the summer arising hope that the virus had run its course but it was only the calm before the storm as a mutated strain of the Spanish flu virus had emerged in Europe with potential of killing healthy young men and women within 24 hours after showing the first signs of the infection.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
