This is a developing story and I will post updates on this as the Covid-19 situation develops.
I am writing this post from the Nairobi airport on the way home (Pretoria in South Africa). (7 March 2020) Two days ago the first Coronavirus case was confirmed in my home country. I am a lay person when it comes to medicine, diseases and the economy, but my experience in business, engineering and recently in Christian Missions gave me some relevant insights.
It is a time to be objective, calm and realistic. I am traveling much in Africa and is aware of the risks. Until now malaria was certainly one of the greater risks of traveling to remote areas in Africa.
The coronavirus, COVID-19, has already earned its place in history. As of today, 7 March 2020, there are more than 100,000 people infected and more than 3000 have died. ref 1) The stock markets have reacted and people ran to cash reserves like gold.
Source: Local governments/World Health Organization
Last update: March 6, 2020 Ref 3)
Precautions ref 4)
- Wash your hands frequently
- Maintain social distancing
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
- Practice respiratory hygiene
Symptoms ref 6) and ref 7)
The symptoms of COVID-19 are:▪️ a cough ▪️ a fever ▪️ shortness of breath
For the latest knowledge on this, please visit the references below. Perhaps ref 7)
But these symptoms do not necessarily mean you have the illness. The symptoms are similar to other illnesses that are much more common, such as cold and flu.
It's very unlikely to be COVID-19 if:
▪️you have not been in close contact with someone with confirmed COVID-19▪️you have not been to a country or area with a high risk of COVID-19 such as China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and others.
How to be ready
We do not know the future. There are many expecting the worst and there are those that live in denial. Many are living in fear as they may lose their jobs, businesses, friends, family and even their on lives. We need to avoid being influenced by fake news and deliberate messages to spread fear, promote unrest and undermine the authorities' measures to curb the spread of the virus.As a believer in Jesus Christ, I know that God is in control and He knows the future. We are to be ready. We are to be ready for Jesus' return. He may call us in many ways for example with diseases, with accidents or when He returns to take those that believe in Him.
Conclusion
The coronavirus is real and has to be taken seriously without going to extremes. We are to be ready, taking precautions and help to remain calm and inspire others to do the same. Let us pray for our leaders and medical personnel in this critical time.
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References:
1) Coronavirus: Italy reports biggest daily jump in death toll, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51777049 BBC 2020-03-07
2) Coronavirus Death Toll 3,497 deaths, www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-death-toll/ 2020-03-7 10h26 CAT
3) Coronavirus cases top 100,000 as China economy hit: Live updates , www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/coronavirus-cases-surpass-100000-globally-live-updates-200306231605898.html 2020-03-07 10h35 CAT
5) Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), www.gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6, JHU 2020-03-12 13h43 CAT
6) South African Department of Health's Coranvirus - COVID-19 site www.sacoronavirus.co.za
7) Join the SA Dept of Health's COVID-19 WhatsApp response line Click to join the group
8) Microsoft's COVID-19 Tracker www.bing.com/covid
Tags: #COVID19 #coronavirus #SouthAfrica #Africa
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