Because the beginning of 2020, the new crown virus is raging. Many Chinese people who have overseas medical needs cannot go abroad to see a doctor. They are very worried about affecting the treatment of the disease, especially in such a special period. According to large overseas medical consulting service agencies, although COVID-19 is different from what most of us have experienced before, pandemic is not new. The pandemic played an important role in shaping human history.
Few people who read this article today will remember the epidemic on such a large scale, but the Shengnuo family said that history tells us that although it is devastating, what we are experiencing is not uncommon.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome
In 2002, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) became the first pandemic in the 21st century. Like COVID-19, SARS is caused by a coronavirus, which is called SARS-cov.
Scientists believe that the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused COVID-19 originated in bats, entered pangolins, and then entered humans. Similarly, SARS-CoV began to appear in bats, but it entered the civet body before human infection.
Both SARS-CoV and the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread by droplets when coughing and sneezing.
Globally, SARS has infected about 8,000 people in 29 countries, with a mortality rate of about 10%. It is estimated that this is higher than the death rate of COVID-19.
SARS and COVID-19 affect the elderly more seriously than the young. About half of the atypical pneumonia patients over the age of 65 died, while only 1% of the patients under the age of 24 died.
However, COVID-19 seems to be more contagious than SARS, and it has spread to more countries, with more deaths than SARS.
How can we eradicate SARS?
In short, surveillance, isolation of infected persons and strict isolation measures have prevented the development of SARS. As one paper said, “By blocking interpersonal transmission, SARS is effectively eradicated.”
The question is, can we eliminate COVID-19 in the same way? For this question, the author writes: COVID-19 differs from SARS in its infection cycle, infectivity, clinical severity, and community transmission. Even if traditional public health measures cannot completely control the outbreak of COVID-19, they will still effectively reduce peak morbidity and global deaths. ”
What can we learn
Although there are significant differences between the aforementioned pandemic and COVID-19, there are still some key implications. Monitoring is important-we need to know who has been affected and who has been affected. In fact, monitoring is the key to our understanding of COVID-19 and how to slow its progress.
We also learned that physical isolation and isolation measures are effective.
No matter geographically or historically, where a pandemic occurs will have an impact. If people at that time could get modern medical treatment, understand how bacteria spread and improve nutrition, would the Black Death cause such devastating consequences? Probably not.
This may not be comforting, but it may help some of us psychologically, remember that we are not the only ones who have experienced such trials and tribulations, and we will not be the last one. The Shengnuo family, a large overseas medical professional referral agency in China, said that it is important that we remember that the pandemic will indeed end, and modern science and medicine can be an incredible force. We no longer live in a dark age; we are better armed today than ever before.