Precaution key word as virus mayhem continues

The mayhem created by the coronavirus, COVID-19, has left the world shivering.

Countries on three continents have reported their first cases and Swiss authorities have cancelled the giant Geneva car show, one of the automotive industry’s most important gatherings.

The virus has already infected 83,000 globally and caused over 2,800 deaths.

The outbreak has shaken financial markets, emptied shops and businesses and put major sites and events off limits.

The economic impact also remains gargantuan.

The coronavirus panic sent world share markets skidding again on Friday, putting them on course for their worst weekly fall since the 2008 global financial crisis, with almost $6 trillion wiped from their market value so far this week.

The rout showed no signs of slowing as Europe’s main markets slumped 3-5% and the ongoing dive for safety sent yields on US government bonds, widely seen as the world’s most secure asset, to fresh record lows.

The global rout also knocked mainland Chinese shares, which have been relatively well supported this month, as new coronavirus cases in the country fell and Beijing doled out measures to shore up economic growth.

Hopes that the epidemic that started in China last year would be over in months and that economic activity would quickly return to normal have been shattered as the number of international cases has spiralled.

Adding to the discomfort is the World Health Organization (WHO) warning that the outbreak is getting bigger and that the virus could reach most if not all countries.

As WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier put it, “The scenario of the coronavirus reaching multiple countries, if not all countries around the world, is something we have been looking at and warning against since quite a while.”

The list of countries hit by the illness has edged towards 60 with Belarus, Lithuania, New Zealand, Nigeria, Azerbaijan and the Netherlands reporting their first cases.

The Nigerian authorities confirming the first case of coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa is a matter of huge concern as it indicates that the outbreak has spread to a region with some of the world’s weakest health systems.

Nigeria is one of 13 African countries classified by the WHO as high priority in this outbreak because of direct links to China or a high number of visitors from there.

In the UAE, the Ministry of Health and Prevention, MoHAP, has been taking the right measures to tackle the situation.

All the necessary precautions to ensure highly efficient preventive measures are being taken, including check-ups and observation of people in contact with patients. It’s all done as per the guidelines and standards of WHO.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Prevention, the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi, DoH-AD, has also taken all necessary measures to ensure the good health and safety of guests at two hotels, presumed to be contacts of two Italian nationals who tested positive for novel Coronavirus.

The ministry has rightly advised the public to adopt protective health behaviour to avoid infectious diseases, including washing hands with soap and clean water, and covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing to stop the spread of germs and viruses.

Residents would do well to follow the preventive procedures and read the awareness instructions available on the ministry’s website and the official websites of other health authorities in the UAE so that they remain safe and also help keep others safe.