Many have heard the news about the recent coronavirus outbreak in China. Many airlines have suspended flights to and from China for the month. I haven’t planned any trip back yet, and luckily I didn’t visit China on my recent trip in Asia (thought about so, since I was so close by, now I’m glad I didn’t). So far the confirmed cases are already surpassing SARS in 2003.
What do I remember about SARS, I was very young back then, only remember we didn’t get any holidays in May, where we normally get a week holidays. I lived in a 3rd-tier city in China, it wasn’t infected that much. Years after I heard about how serious SARS was back then.
The news and updates make me a bit upset, I was checking both English news and Chinese social media, I feel overwhelmed with all the information, so decided to stop.
Here are some some thoughts:
Government officials and the informed can run away from Wuhan before the lockdown. And telling that in 24 hour there will be quarantine, how can it be called quarantine? lol
Some videos show shortage of everything, food and medical supplies, some showing there’re tons of supplies, probably both are real. China is big, there are shitty villages, but also rich can afford private hospitals etc. I remember when I travelled to the West China for the first time, I was shocked I’d never in my life seen a poor area like such (of course now I’ve seen many of such worldwide, but back then I barely left my hometown area).
What makes me sad the most is some Wuhan residents posted online how their family got infected yet got no help. Shortage of medical resources is real, for a normal working class who don’t have connections. China is not a developed country (although cities can look amazingly modern and life seems convenient without such crisis), far from that. I don’t doubt that medical personnel are working hard as hell, but the medical care facilities, everything is just not the best and not the most professional.
So far this new virus seems pretty contagious, not so lethal though. How much can we trust the official data? I don’t know, maybe for the confirmed case, more or less, but again, since I believe it lacks medical facility in some areas, so you never know. But considering it’s not too lethal, I guess we shouldn’t be that worried if we aren’t in China.
SARS lasted a few months, this time probably similar time. What can we learn from the virus? Probably after the virus outbreak a few government officials that with weaker connections will resign, those who loved wild animals will still eat animals, we are all good, praise the government, while who actually are helping getting some more mask supplies are the volunteers, patients post help online and get the help from someone who knows someone, those who offer reduction on shop/office rent are the merchants.
There are those who got kicked out from their rented apartment by their landlord after Chinese new year trip from back Hubei home. It’s certainly not legal but who cares. Who will give those people “protection”? Life is hard but none of those who work day and night during this very time is government.
Isn’t that the great example we don’t really depend on central government, especially like the communist ones? If a government is known as protection, how has a nobody in China been protected during this conoravirus? I doubt, and I believe sad truth is after this virus those ate wile animals will still eat wild animals, a few related governments officials with weaker connections will have to resign. Those tragedy stories will soon be forgotten, just like how we didn’t really learn the lesson from SARS.
(photo credit: pixabay)
