When people of the world celebrate a new decade happily Few can imagine what awaits them in 2021.
The past 12 months The coronavirus paralyzes the global economy, and nearly 4 billion people have had to keep themselves at home – this is the year that changed the world like never before. At least in a generation Or even perhaps since World War 2 onwards.
With just a few days left before the year 2020 has passed, nearly 1.8 million people die from COVID-19 and over 80 million have been infected. Many children have become orphaned. Many grieve at the release of their loved ones to death in the hospital alone.
Sten Verman, communicable disease epidemiologist and dean of the Faculty of Public Health Yale University says COVID-19 is a lifelong experience of the epidemic, it will happen once for everyone on earth. And hardly anyone is not affected by this crisis.
Although the statistics from COVID-19 It is far from the most deadly pandemic of the past, such as the 14th-century bubonic plague that killed a quarter of the world’s population from the Spanish flu, which killed at least 50 million people in 1918-19 and with AIDS. 34 million dead
But the fear of COVID-19 is that just breathing in the wrong place at the wrong time can become infected.
Wan Chun Hui, a 44-year-old survivor, said he narrowly escaped death after 17 days of hospitalization and saw that Many others are not as lucky as him.
The severity of the epidemic crisis was almost unrecognizable when China announced on December 31, 2019 that it had found 27 people with the mysterious virus pneumonia in Wuhan.
The next day, the Wuhan animal market, linked to the early outbreak, quietly shut down. Until January 7, Chinese officials announced that Found a new virus called 2019-nCoV.
On January 11, China announced that it had the first death in Wuhan. After a few days Found infected people all over Asia. In France and America
In late January, countries sent planes to unload their citizens from China and begin to close their borders. While more than 50 million people in Wuhan, Hubei Province were locked down.
New Plague – Lock Down
A man lying dead in a furniture store in Wuhan wearing a mask and holding a plastic bag, published by AFP. It reflects the fear that has covered the city well. Even at that time, the AFP was unable to determine the cause of death.
The horror is also evident in the events that took place aboard the “Diamond Princess” cruise ship docked in Japan, where more than 700 people were infected with COVID-19 and 13 killed.
When the horrors spread throughout the world The competition for developing a vaccine against the coronavirus was started. Biotech, a small German biotech company Suspended a cancer project and launched a new project called “Speed of light” quietly
On February 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) named the new epidemic COVID-19, and four days later France found its first fatalities outside Asia. Not only Europe was even more shocked after northern Italy became the epicenter.
“Covid is worse than war. I could not imagine such a serious epidemic in 2020, ”said Orlando Qualdy, mayor of the village of Vertova. In Lombardy North italy Said in March From the fact that 36 of his local residents died in just 25 days.
Italy locked down to be the first in Europe, followed by Spain, France and England, and the WHO announced COVID-19. It is a great plague of the world. America, which has stopped accepting travelers from China, has also banned Europe. And the Summer Olympics in Tokyo became the first Olympic Games, which was postponed during a war-free world.
By mid-April 3,900 million people, or half the world’s population. It is under some form of lockdown order. From Paris to New York, Delhi, Lagos, London, Buenos Aires, the streets are silent. The sound most commonly heard is ambulance sirens.
Over the decades, researchers have warned that There will be a global pandemic crisis. But almost no one cares In the end, from the richest to the poorest countries all face this invisible enemy. The supply chain in the world economy is disrupted. The supermarket shelves were empty because people were scrambled to stock up on groceries.
Ignoring investments in healthcare Which is a chronic problem has been revealed cruelly In conditions where hospitals and critical care departments are rapidly overflowing. Low-wage healthcare workers struggle with the coronavirus without personal protective equipment.
Nilima Vettya-Bamer, a doctor in Mumbai, India, one of the countries with the worst COVID-19, said she graduated in 1994 and since then the public hospitals are the places that have been hurled like So bad, “why wait until the epidemic occurs to know that there is a problem?” She said.
But in New York The city with the most billionaires in the world Too The world has seen images of doctors wearing trash bags to protect themselves while treating COVID patients. A hospital field popped up in the middle of Central Park. And the graves for the mass burial were exhumed on Hart Island.
The disaster was clearly
Virgilioneto, the mayor of Manas in Brazil, said the situation was similar to a horror movie.
“We are no longer in an emergency. But it was clearly a catastrophic situation, ”says Neto, referring to the footage of the corpses being placed in a cold room car. And a crawler tractor that is accelerating to dig the ground to build a large grave
Shops, clubs, bars, restaurants and schools were closed. The sporting event was canceled. The commercial airline business faced the worst downturn in history.
Spain’s lockdown measures are so strict that children are strictly prohibited from leaving the home. And many people are locked down in narrow apartments. For weeks
Many people have to work from home. Meetings and talks through the “Zoom” platform replaces face-to-face meetings. Including business trips As well as business gatherings But for those who cannot be in the work of the house May face being released or be forced to risk taking normal commute to work
In May, the epidemic left 20 million Americans unemployed. The World Bank warned that COVID-19 and the global economic recession followed. It could make the world’s 150 million people live in extreme poverty by 2021.
Never before has social inequality spread, hugging and kissing and holding hands has become taboo. People have to interact with each other on the back of the plexiglas. Face mask And hand sanitizer As the problem of domestic violence grows As well as mental health problems
The United States, the world’s largest economy, does not have a universal health insurance system. Became the country that faced the worst outbreak With more than 330,000 deaths, President Donald Trump has been looking at COVID-19 early and suggesting some questionable treatments such as: Use of hydroxychloroquine used to treat malaria And injecting disinfectants into the body
However, in May Trump initiated the “Operational Warp Speed” program, adding $ 11 billion to promote the coronavirus vaccine development by the end of 2020, and said it was America’s biggest effort ever. From the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II
COVID-19 is caste-free disease. In October, Trump was infected with COVID. As well as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaru and Prime Minister Boris. Johnson of england Must be treated in the ICU for 3 days from the coronavirus in April.
Grade A performers like Tom Hanks and his wife can’t escape Covid. As well as Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest footballers of the era, tennis champion Novak Djokovic, star singer Madonna, Prince Charles. And Prince Albert II of Monaco.
It also seems Trump’s response to the pandemic crisis is a key factor for Democrat rival Joe Biden. Won the election on November 3
2021 year of vaccine
As the year 2020 is closing the curtain. Government of different countries Initiate or prepare for the coronavirus vaccination for the public. Starting from the elderly Medical personnel And who is most at risk Before expanding to most people It is believed that This is a passport to a normal way of life.
In December, England became the first country in the West to approve the emergency vaccine and begin vaccinating its citizens. It is a vaccine that Biotech developed in collaboration with Pfizer. America’s largest pharmaceutical company Followed by the US And most recently, the European Union (EU) approved the use of emergency vaccines. And some members of the nation started injections for the people on Sunday (December 27).
“If I can get it at 90, you can get it too,” said Margaret Keenan, the first British Pfizer / Biotech vaccine.
As rich countries rush to stock up on vaccines, it is likely that by 2021, China and Russia will depend on vaccines that are cheaper than Western ones. Expand influence in countries around the world
At this time, no one can determine how long the COVID-19 will be spreading. Some experts warn that It could take years to build group immunity from a mass vaccination program. Especially when in some countries there is resistance because the effectiveness of the vaccine is uncertain. But there are some countries that are optimistic that A normal way of life may start to return around the middle of 2021.
But no matter what, many people expect the way of working from home to last. And more flexible from technology that is constantly evolving While the manufacturing sector is increasingly relying on the local supply chain. That trip is likely to recover. But still not sure How quickly will you recover?
If working from the home of the white-collar workers is still normal What will happen to the commercial real estate guys in the downtown areas of the big cities? Is it possible that the various centers Of urban communities will begin the trend of population decline Because people are no longer bound by commuting to and from work. Therefore migrating to a greener or more peaceful lifestyle
There are also concerns about the impact of the virus crisis on civil liberties. The Freedom House brainstorm said human rights and democracy deteriorated in 80 countries and that governments abused their powers to enforce anti-virus measures.
Some speculate that the anxiety of being in large crowds can have profound consequences. At least to public transport Cultural place Entertainment activities And sporting events Including the cruise ship industry
The world economy also faces a difficult path. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that a recession could be more severe than the effects of the 2008 financial crisis.
But to Lewis Dartnell, a biologist who wrote the book “The Knowledge” on how to save the world from a catastrophe in 2014, COVID-19 is just a big wave that has lashed its inhabitants. world But what follows is a tsunami of severe climate change and global warming, many times more challenging and catastrophic than COVID.
(Source: AFP, Agency)
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