The WHO Has Declared The COVID-19 Coronavirus Outbreak A Pandemic: Here Is What That Means
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On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the COVID-19 coronavirus global emergency is now a pandemic. The UN health agency urged countries worldwide to "double-down" on their efforts to curtail the spread of the infectious disease, which has swept into at least 114 countries and killed over 4,000 people in less than three months.
"WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock, and we're deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and the alarming levels of inaction. We have therefore made the assessment that Covid-19 can be characterized by 'pandemic,'" WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
What is a pandemic?
A viral illness usually starts as an "outbreak." This refers to a large number of people in one area getting infected within a short period of time. For example, the series of measles cases in the US in 2019 was considered an outbreak. If the disease continues to spread extensively, it is termed an "epidemic." According to the WHO, an epidemic is "the occurrence in a community or region of cases of an illness ... clearly in excess of normal expectancy."
However, the rapid global spread of COVID-19 — which began as an outbreak with 41 identified cases in Wuhan, China — has clearly gone far beyond the local community and region, transforming into a "pandemic." Scary as it sounds, a pandemic is a loosely-defined term that does not necessarily predict a severely dire outcome. The WHO usually declares a pandemic when a new virus, for which people do not have immunity, spreads around the world beyond expectations.
Dr. Nathalie MacDermott, National Institute for Health Research academic clinical lecturer at King's College London, says: "The change of term does not alter anything practically as the world has been advised for the last few weeks to prepare for a potential pandemic, which has hopefully been taken seriously by all countries. The use of this term, however, highlights the importance of countries throughout the world working cooperatively and openly with one another and coming together as a united front in our efforts to bring this situation under control."
How is the world stepping up to the WHO's call for action?
While governments and corporations worldwide had taken some measures to curb the COVID-19 spread, its new status as a pandemic has elevated the urgency further. Italy, which has reported 10,000 COVID-19 cases, including 1,000 deaths — the worst outbreak outside of China — has imposed severe travel restrictions and banned all public gatherings. All sporting events have also been suspended indefinitely, and schools and universities have been shuttered until at least April 3, 2020.
Spain, with over 4,000 cases, has declared a national state of emergency. In addition to banning non-essential travel, the government has also closed all schools and universities until early April. In the Catalonia region, all businesses and retailers, except for ones selling food or essential goods, have been shut down in the four hardest-hit towns. Madrid, which is the epicenter of almost half of the country's COVID-19 cases, has taken similar measures and closed all restaurants, bars, and shops. Only supermarkets and pharmacies are allowed to remain open.
The US is taking similar measures. Following the WHO announcement, President Trump imposed a 30-day ban on visitors from continental Europe. He also promised to free up as much as $50 billion towards fighting the spread of the virus. The US government is also in the process of approving a bill that will provide free COVID-19 testing for all, and paid sick leave and unemployment insurance for those afflicted with the virus, as well as additional Medicaid funding for local healthcare systems.
Professional sports leagues, including the NBA, NCAA, NHL, and MLB, have either postponed or suspended their 2020 season. A large number of universities across the nation have closed and moved classes online for the rest of the school year. At least a dozen states, including —Ohio, Maryland, New Mexico, Michigan, West Virginia, Virginia, Louisiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Washington, and Alabama — have closed schools until the end of March or early April. Large retailers, including Apple Inc and Urban Outfitters are shuttering stores globally, while others like Walmart, are cutting store hours. Many American city and town officials have banned large public gatherings, including concerts. Officials are also urging citizens to limit private events to less than 100 guests.
What precautions can I take?
Experts assert that simple precautions are the key to avoiding the infection. Wash your hands, including your nail tips, frequently and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with your hands, and stay away from people displaying flu-like symptoms. Conversely, those experiencing such symptoms should get tested and not go to school, work, or any public area where they risk infecting others.
Given the unprecedented nature of the virus' spread, the situation is certainly not one to be taken lightly. However, thanks to the concerted efforts from government officials, corporations, and individuals, we remain optimistic that the COVID-19 pandemic will soon be contained.
Stay strong, stay healthy. We are all in this together!
Resources: Vox.com, LAtimes.com, www.brusselstimes.com USAtoday.com
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1887 Comments
kittyluvskookieover 3 yearsMy mom, 2 grandmas got vaccinated but my dad still needs his second
x_goddess_xover 3 yearsIt's been a year of Covid-19, and stay strong with things to protect you! #WeGotThis! #Don'tGiveUp! -Kittylover111
roxanne3over 3 years#WeGotThis! #Don'tGiveUp!! Stay safe everyone!!
sokeefe_foreverover 3 yearsAnd stay strong with other people and God to protect you! I will be praying that your family stays safe even if you get covid!😊
ailaover 3 yearsCorrection: I hope No one gets COVID stay safe!- sokeefe_foreverover 3 yearsYeah, I hope no one gets it also😂 I had it, and it was less bad than a cold, but still, it's no fun to loose your smell and taste for a few weeks though.
pinkkitty9over 3 yearsyou are so right! Wear masks, everyone! We're in this together!
- sokeefe_foreverover 3 yearsI can't believe it's been a year, it feels like last year went by so quickly, and this year is going even quicker! As the same time it feels like covid-19 has been around forever! But I know eventually the cases will drop low enough that we all can go out and have fun just like we used to! I'm hoping for a dry (usually we get alot of rain) summer, and a normal one too, so since I did hear that the cases of covid are dropping, it's doesn't seem to far out of reach! Thanks for reading!
- roxanne3over 3 yearsI for sure agree!! I can't wait to go out and do things I used to do without even thinking about it, like hang out at the lake, bike with friends, and visit my grandparents. It will be such a good moment when vaccines are open to everyone, everywhere. I'm so excited!! Stay safe!!
- roxanne3over 3 yearsCan't believe it's been a year!! Actually, I can... it's been a hard, long year for me, and probably lots of you too. Luckily, we've made it through!! It's 2021 now, a new year and a fresh start on life!! Spring is coming quickly and soon, at least for me, it will be summer- bright and sunny and full of fun!! I can't wait for summer, after being basically stuck in my house mostly all winter (since about October- about 5 months!!) Some of the hardest things for me in 2020 were: 1, not finishing my last year at elementary school, 2, not getting my graduation that I was really looking forward to, 3, not going to New Hampshire to visit my grandparents and great grandma- I haven't seen any of my grandparents in over a year now and I haven't seen my great grandma in 2 years, she's turning 90 in a few weeks. 4, not being able to see hardly any people once the weather got colder. and the biggest thing, 5, was not being able to go to middle school this year- my parents decided homeschool would
- sokeefe_foreverover 3 yearsI am home schooled and always have been. Tbh, I like it because I have lots of free time to sing and play music and stuff!
- sokeefe_foreverover 3 yearsAnd have friends over, ofc! Or go for walks outside with my friend!
- roxanne3over 3 yearsbe better for my brother and I but it's been tough on my because I am definitely a social person and my brother gets so hard to be around....... Another thing is that almost all of my grandparents turned 70 this/last year and we haven't seen any of them for that :( Still, luckily no one I actually know got COVID except my uncle and he recovered quickly!! And, there were definitely good points in 2020. The summer was still summer, and even though I couldn't do lots of stuff with other people I was still able to do my own things like bike and go to the river, and I still played soccer!! In December-January my family went down to Hawaii!! That was so much fun and I'm glad we were able to do it safely!! Well that basically sums it up for me. I hope you all are staying safe and have a great year in 2021!! <3
- sokeefe_foreverover 3 yearsOh, yeah, siblings can definitely be a little bothersome. I have 10 of them, and sometimes I just want to get away for just 1 single day!
purple_peach744over 3 yearsIts been a year of this article!- roxanne3over 3 yearsCan't believe it!!
lpsbrooklyn13over 3 yearsDang, its been a year already- roxanne3over 3 yearsI know!! So long :(
kittiesmamaover 3 yearsBoth my mom's have got the first shot they get the second later this month! And exciting news..... Are you ready.... IM GOING BACK TO SCHOOL TOMORROW! we have already got me and my siblings masks school supplies shoes and clothes! My 5 days of the week masks are pink explosion there is a different one for each day of the week and they are all pink explosion! My sister's 5 are ice cream theme! My brother is trains theme!- roxanne3over 3 yearsthat's great that they got the shots!! I'm so happy for you to go back to school :D I'm not going back this year but I for sure will next year and I can't WAIT!! Your masks sound super cool :)
- sokeefe_foreverover 3 yearsOh cool! Keeps it interesting instead of wearing the same old mask over and over, and also, the. Your mask doesn't get super germy (and dirty
- pinkkitty9over 3 yearsCongrats for going back to school! I am so happy for you!
- kittiesmamaover 3 yearsOn so we got back from school about 30 minutes ago an it is 4:00. So school was awesome! People did not where there masks correctly. My ears are red and sore! But I had a good day! I made new friend cause we had tons of new kids on 6th grade. We watched YouTube after we finished with school work at school. We had spaghetti and breadsticks and peaches for lunch. And for breakfast we had yogurt and strawberry nutrition bars and apples. It was pretty good food all in all. So I'm a little tired cause I woke up at 2:00 and didn't get back to sleep at all. So bye!
- purple_peach744over 3 yearsThis is one of the most popular articles of the year
- purple_peach744over 3 yearsI can't believe its been a year. This all sounds like it only happened months ago! I hope we can have a normal summer and school year next year!
- sokeefe_foreverover 3 yearsYES, ME ALSO! Though I'm homeschooled, so I didn't have any problem with having to be homeschooled since I already was!
horse123456over 3 yearsHey! I have not been on DOGO in a while. This is my favorite article tho and I wanted to see if there was any new comments on it. Stay safe! -ARTGIRL- roxanne3over 3 yearsThere are always new comments!! Lol but I can't believe this has been active for a whole year!! Stay positive guys!!
