(Shreyas Kamble, Unsplash)
As coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, here are some of the latest headlines and resources to help you arm yourself with the best information.
COVID-19’s impact around the globe
- Globally, confirmed cases reach 423,121.
- Total number of those who have recovered is 108,619.
- India, with a population of 1.3 billion, locks down.
- US Congress and White House agree on $2-trillion coronavirus aid package
- WHO official: United States could become the next virus epicentre.
- The 2020 Olympics are officially postponed until 2021.
- Two-month lockdown ends for most of China’s Hubei Province.
India starts 21-day lockdown
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a stay-at-home order four hours before it went into effect, sparking a rush for goods. The country has a comparatively low number of cases – 536 – but moved to prevent a wider spread of the virus. Read more here.
Bill Gates: Testing the right patients will be “super, super urgent.”
Self-isolation – key to fighting the pandemic in the US – could last another 8 to 10 weeks, estimated Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the non-profit the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “In terms of testing,” Gates said, “we’re still not creating that capacity and applying it to people in need.” Testing must be organized and prioritized, he stressed. “That is super, super urgent.” Read more here.
Hospitals made from shipping containers could help tackle COVID-19
An Italian design company is partnering with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to make prefabricated intensive care units (ICUs) to help stem the shortage in hospital beds. Dubbed Connected Units for Respiratory Ailments (CURA), these units are quick to erect but hospital-safe, designed to take into account “biocontainment” (a series of safety practices to prevent the spread of disease). Made from shipping containers, the units will be easy to transport by road, rail and ship as the virus spreads. Read more here.
Configuration of a mobile intensive care hospital.
Image: CURA
New coronavirus milestone: More than 100,000 COVID-19 recoveries
The world has passed another coronavirus milestone, with more than 100,000 patients now successfully recovered from the virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The actual figure is likely to be higher, with the data only covering confirmed cases. Read more here.
Recoveries surpassed 100,000 this week.
Image: Image: Johns Hopkins University
Undiagnosed people without symptoms are helping to spread coronavirus
People without COVID-19’s tell-tale symptoms may be spreading infection, according to studies outlined in the journal Nature. The research finds that six in ten new coronavirus cases may have been caused by covert infections.
Studying data from Hubei, the province of China thought to be the initial epicentre of the virus, researchers estimated that asymptomatic cases likely outnumbered confirmed cases. “By our most conservative estimate, at least 59% of the infected individuals were out and about, without being tested and potentially infecting others,” says Wu Tangchun, a public-health expert at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, who led the study. Read more here.
What is the World Economic Forum doing about the coronavirus outbreak?
A new strain of Coronavirus, COVID 19, is spreading around the world, causing deaths and major disruption to the global economy.
Responding to this crisis requires global cooperation among governments, international organizations and the business community, which is at the centre of the World Economic Forum’s mission as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.
The Forum has created the COVID Action Platform, a global platform to convene the business community for collective action, protect people’s livelihoods and facilitate business continuity, and mobilize support for the COVID-19 response. The platform is created with the support of the World Health Organization and is open to all businesses and industry groups, as well as other stakeholders, aiming to integrate and inform joint action.
As an organization, the Forum has a track record of supporting efforts to contain epidemics. In 2017, at our Annual Meeting, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) was launched – bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines. CEPI is currently supporting the race to develop a vaccine against this strand of the coronavirus.
Healthcare workers applaud the people of Spain
Many countries have made a nightly tradition of applauding healthcare workers. Recently, the healthcare workers clapped back. In a Tweet sharing a video of the applause, the Spanish Nursing Association said, “And we also return the applause. Thank you so much for your recognition.”
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The Indians have just built the Atal Tunnel – which the PLA has promised to destroy !
The Indian Drama,is to fool the dumb Indians, and to impress their White Masters. The state of Indians is so pathetic, that they ,in 2020,are still mesmerised, by so-called Infra Projects – which can be blown to bits by the Chinese Precision Guided Ammo – assuming PlLA jets do not bomb it !
The Indian ADS which shot down their own Chopper in Bugdam – will use Indian ADS toprotect their tunnel from Chinese Missiles ? Also ,Indians have no ability to strike similar Chinese Infra , in Tibet – except by sending their Jets, deep into Tibet – which will be shot down, by Chinese PLAF and ADS. In any case, Chinese have many tunnels and many logistics options – while India has ONLY 1 TUNNEL..
Y have the Indians Built this tunnel ? Each tunnel has an entry and an exit,and an approach and an exit road.In the winters, there would be snow,ice and avalanches, and so,the roads will be unusable or will slow down,the logistics, and in some cases, the roads will be closed down.
Then,the Tunnel covers less than 15%,of the distance,to the target destination.dindooohindoo
Therefore,if the PLA bombs the entry OR the exit of the Tunnel,or the Approach road to OR beyond the tunnel
or the 100s of Kms of road, after the tunnel – THE TUNNEL WILL BECOME UNUSABLE ! If the road is bombed then the chances of a landslide, are almost 100% ! And if the approach roads ,to the landslide, are also bombed, no crane will reach the location, and the cranes will have to BE AIRLIFTED ,by specialised Choppers which will take time to organise,and will be sitting ducks, even for MANPADs.
So Y did the Indians build the tunnel ? To save time ? For what ? In war, Time has the proxy of “Inventory”.If time is a vagary of war, then you carry more inventories (of men ,munitions, spares and food).If a war breaks out,the Tunnel will be destroyed, by the PLA – it cannot be defended, by Indian ADS.
Also,in matters of military logistics,in a war scenario – COST is NOT a Factor – and in any case,saving a few hours in logistics will NOT yield any material reductions in road freight – but will save the air freighting (by C-130s or Choppers)
Even if a surge is planned by the Indians – it is best done by air – as time is of the essence. Of course the aircargo will be shotdown – but it is easier to blow up the stationery target,id.est.,The Tunnel,and its matrix of impotence.
The Chinese say that the Indians took 15 years to make the tunnel. The Chinese must understand that the Hindoo God Rama (whose wife ran away,with Ravana- the King of Lanka),took 12 years to make a bridge of stones, to Lanka – and the bridge was MADE ENTIRELY BY APES.
EVEN AFTER 5000 YEARS,THERE IS NO IMPROVEMENT IN THE CAPABILITIES OF THE INDIANS.