COVID-19: A coronavirus shining on a dystopian world
Could this illustration of a coronavirus shining on a dystopian world be the reality in a not-so-distant future?
As the world watches the Coronavirus COVID-19 spreads uncontrollably, people who thought that it was just a "China thing", far from their own respective countries and with nothing to be worried about, only about a month ago, are now fearing the worst as the virus propagation continues relentlessly and has reached a confirmed total of more than 80 countries and territories around the world and 1 international conveyance (the "Diamond Princess" cruise ship harboured in Yokohama, Japan).
Within the last 2 months (roughly, even if stats/data only officially started on January 22 2020, and despite the fact that there are evidence of contamination and human-to-human transmissions since mid-December 2019), COVID-19 has killed more than 3,200 people (and counting, as the numbers increase every day), which represent a total of roughly 1,500 deaths per month and could possibly reach the staggering number of 18,000 deaths (at least) by the end of this year (if the situation remains uncontrolled, and if a vaccine is still not yet available and consequently the virus continues to spread at the same pace for the next 10 months).
Public opinions constantly diverge on its virulence. And comparisons of all sorts flourished recently on social media, more especially the most recurring one stating that the coronavirus COVID-19 is "obviously" less dangerous than the common flu (for example), which kills dozens of thousands of people every year, and as a much lower death rate at around 3.4%.
And therefore, for a lot of sceptical people, COVID-19 is, at best, a Chinese Hoax (aiming to destabilize the economic and financial markets) that we should not feel concerned or worried about (at all, and despite the sequels and consequences, it has already generated in many countries in less than 2 months); and, at worst, a virus from which 94% of the infected cases will recover from anyway, so, there again, no reason to feel concerned or worried about (not even for the 6% who will pass away apparently).
Although a lot of people continue to think that there is no reason to fear this virus, I still think there are plenty of reasons why we should fear this virus. And there are lots of evidence that this is not a hoax. At least, people should feel a little sadness and compassion for the people who passed away and their families, and should also feel concerned and worried about this virus, as the threat is real (it is no hoax obviously).
Moreover, as I mentioned it in two previous posts on the subject, (here and here), what is dangerous about this coronavirus (COVID-19) is not its virulence, but its high transmissibility during the 10-14 days (average) incubation period prior to showing the first symptoms, making it quasi-indetectable and very difficult to diagnose, which, consequently, dramatically increase the extent and the rapidity of its propagation far beyond our control.
And that is the scary part! As, until an efficient vaccine or cure is found and made available, the spreading will continue discreetly and silently without us being able to do anything about it. We already had no clue about the real extent of the situation, while the virus remained predominantly in China (about a month ago), and even less now that it has spread around the world and has been confirmed in more than 85 countries (so far) with hundreds of new additional cases on a daily basis.
The rapid spreading in Europe and in the US
One of the main reasons why the virus is now spreading faster in Europe and the rest of the western world, compared to China and Asia in general, where the situation seems to have stabilized a little, is that Asians are usually more disciplined and obedient than westerners, it is a cultural thing. Moreover, there are used to epidemics and therefore are more prepared than westerners. They are also more pudic than westerners and therefore have less immediate contact with each other. For example in Europe, more especially in France, usages and traditions have people checking hands, giving accolades and more commonly kiss on both chicks (2 to 4 times depending on the region and the relationship with the person). While in Asia (in general) immediate contacts, with people you don't know, are much less frequent and/or accepted as part of the common usages.
Therefore, it seems that the Chinese (Asian in general) were more careful and cautious, and accepted the seriousness of the situation from the get-go, as they immediately adopted a concerned attitude, as well as, rapidly adapted to the resulting daily inconveniences and recommendations to prevent the virus to further affect more people. Which has not necessarily been the case in Europe and the western world in general, where people laxity and nonchalance toward the coronavirus, from the beginning (and even until now), resulted into passive attitudes and a lack of concerns toward this growing threat, for which they should have recognized the signs, listen to the WHO (World heath Organization) and be more prepared for.
Multiple examples of the lateness and lack of preparation of preventive and precaution measures that could have easily be put in place in Europe and America much earlier resulted in today's worsening situation and the rapid spreading of the virus. For example, I have heard and read that people who just flew back from Asian countries, just a few days ago, where they could have been in contact with infected people and could eventually have been affected themselves, were not even controlled at the airport in Paris and in JFK, no question ask and no quarantine either. Add the nonchalant, distant and unconcerned attitudes to no preventive communication and no control at departure or arrival gates in airports and train or bus stations, and you've got a virus able to circulate wherever it might please without restrictions or barriers. No wonder why the virus is spreading fast in Europe and in the US.
One other reason the Asian world is more prepared, China more particularly, is that drastic, but necessary, measures have been put in place as early as possible in China and its neighbouring countries like Hong Kong. Since late January, schools and major public places, like attraction parks and exhibition centres have been closed (in HK schools are closed since January 30th until April 20th, probably longer if deemed necessary), considerably reducing/minimizing mass movements, gathering and crowdings.
Also, rapid decisions and actions from Alibaba (Jack Ma's company and China megacorporation equivalent to the GAFA in the US), as well as other tech companies allowed for detecting systems and devices to be put in place and distributed to help detect and counter more efficiently the coronavirus and limit its propagation. Using specific technologies like thermal CCTV cameras, smart helmets, body temperature detectors and sensors, as well as AI (Artificial Intelligence) and big data (sourced from Apps and QR codes scanning) to screen people and counter the virus has proved to be very efficient.
These technologies have also tremendously helped to reassure the Chinese population too, as people can check on a few Apps on their phone if there are any infected people in their vicinity, for example. Alibaba coloured QR codes (Green = ok, Yellow = potentially, Red = infected) has now become an indispensable tool to prevent the propagation of the virus, as the QR code needs to be scanned prior to enter most public places in China, and if the colour appears yellow or red, the person cannot go in. (If interested read other articles on the subject here and here).
We can only applaud the dedication and determination of some Chinese technology companies showed to rapidly combat and fight back the virus spread. Measures and actions that, although much needed, will prove much slower to accept and put in place in the western world, unfortunately.
In short, the lack of early discernment, decisions and actions, as well as the unconcerned, nonchalant and distant attitudes towards the COVID-19 coronavirus, and the gravity of the situation, displayed by the governments and a major part of the population in Europe and in the US, are the primary causes of its spreading and propagation.
Precautions and preventions
Also, Governments in China and in Hong Kong, for example, as well as health organization recommendations (****) have been posted on various websites where they have have been constantly updated, following the evolution of the situation, as well as sent regularly via email since (as early as) January 25th:
Do not travel to mainland China, South Korea, northern Italy (Lombardia, Veneto and Emilia Romagna regions) or Iran (or any other countries presenting a high amount of infected cases)
Consider carefully non-essential travel to countries with limited disease surveillance capacity (eg. Cambodia, Indonesia, much of Africa). Also, be aware that some countries have placed travel restrictions on people coming from China and Hong Kong. (check the Central Health Medical Practice FAQ as of 02.03.2020 here)
Do not travel, socialize or go to work while sick
Reduce non-essential travel on public transport particularly during peak travel hours
Practice hand hygiene frequently (soap and water for 20 seconds when possible, otherwise alcohol hand rub) and avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes.
Cover your cough. The most effective way to prevent transmission of viruses when coughing or sneezing is to use a "single-use" tissue. Cough or sneeze into your elbow if no tissue is available.
Wear a mask when crowds are unavoidable, when around sick people, or if feeling unwell yourself. Be sure to practice hand hygiene before putting on and after taking off a mask As it has become socially unacceptable to not wear a mask in Hong Kong, and some buildings actually require it, you may need to wear a mask at times simply to make other people comfortable, or conform with local measures.
In social and work situations, avoid handshakes, hugs and kisses. Many people will not appreciate this form of greeting.
Carry your own pen instead of using publicly provided ones
Open your windows to keep your home well-ventilated. This is more effective than HEPA filters.
Maintain drainage pipes properly and once a week pour about half a litre of water into each drain outlet (U-traps). Close the toilet lid before flushing. And of course, wash your hands!
As far as possible, avoid the following high-risk activities: travel on cruise ships; large communal food-sharing including buffets, banquets and hotpots; large multinational networking events and conferences, large religious gatherings.
Get your flu vaccine if you have not already done so.
Consider delaying elective surgery or non-urgent appointments in government hospitals. This will allow crowded government hospitals to concentrate their resources on sick patients and infection control.
For similar reasons, for non-infectious semi-urgent medical issues, if you are able to attend a private hospital Accident & Emergency rather than a public hospital, this is preferable.
Prevent from or avoid touching handles and bars (and other surfaces in public areas), or use hand-sanitizer immediately before and after, as much as necessary or possible
All these prevention and precaution measures tremendously helped to reduce or minimize the extent and propagation of the virus in Asian countries, or at least to somewhat stabilize it. Yet, despite initial criticisms from western countries politicians and organizations, these recommendations were not communicated, distributed, displayed and/or applied in Europe and in the US until last week (early March), as Governments did not act accordingly to the recommendations of the WHO (World Health Organization) and did not see the urgency of the imminent threat. These are the same people who had finger-pointing attitudes toward the Chinese governments about a month and a half ago, and could have better prevent COVID-19 to affect their own countries instead of showing laxity, nonchalance and lack of concerns.
Consequently, as COVID-19 continues to spread uncontrollably around the world, more people are getting infected and the death rate is inevitably increasing on a daily basis. But until when? Few months? Six months or more? A year or two maybe? And, how many will die in the meantime? We could speculate for hours on it, but, in fact, nobody knows!
Vaccine, cure and treatments
The vaccine race started actively back late January, and, since then, every country is trying to come up first with a vaccine (surely to capitalise on it too). Rumours have it that a vaccine might be ready within the next 4-5 months. A lab in Israel, apparently working on a vaccine to cure a type of coronavirus affecting poultry, might be able to develop it that fast. However, doctors and specialists have been talking about probably another 12 months, at the fastest, up to 18 months and even 2 years (for the less optimistic).
And it is true that a vaccine cannot and should not be released too fast, due to the long testings and trials period (on both animal first, then human) prior its release to make sure it is suitable for humans (with no or limited side effects), and also due to the long administration and approval process preceding its release. So, if you want my two cents on it, these rumours that a vaccine to cure this novel coronavirus COVID-19, might be found, released and made available to the public within the next 4-5 months, might actually need to be taken with a grain of salt. Better be safe than sorry.
Some doctors and specialists are talking about as much as 35 various treatments, remedies, drugs or medicines being developed currently that may help patients to recover rapidly after being administered for a certain period of time. (if interested read this interesting article about these 35 treatments here)
Havoc and Chaos in a what already resembles a dystopian world
The other fear factor about COVID-19 is that it also seems to create havoc and chaos on its path. The world is now watching in dismay the rapid collapse of the world economy and the fragility of the globalization system.
Within the last 2 months, we have basically witnessed helplessly and powerlessly the fragility and the collapse of globalization: countries depending largely on import-export are struggling, financial markets are tumbling, trade markets are slowing down, economic growth is decreasing, GDP is declining, major commercial and sport events around the world have either been postponed or cancelled, prices are going up on certain products as they are less available due to the difficulties to be imported from certain countries (i.e. containers are being held in China and the rest of the world is starting to feel the consequences of it), etc, etc...
The ripple effect of the Wuhan coronavirus COVID-19 that shook China's neighbouring countries at first (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, etc...), has now been felt by most countries on six of the seven continents (Asia, Europe, North America, Australia, Australia and South America, with side effects already in Antarctica). People are really starting to fear the worst may still be yet to come. And to worsen the picture a little more, the recent news stated that even pets can now seem to be able to be infected too. How far will this coronavirus go? When will it stop?
And that is why I'm showing you this illustration again, to ask you the question again, could this illustration of a coronavirus shining on a dystopian world be the reality in a not-so-distant future?
Let's hope not, but let's think about it for a minute...
As per Wikipedia: A "dystopia" is an imaginary community or society, that is undesirable or frightening. In short, unlivable. And, no offence and without trying to be gloomy and too pessimistic, but, isn't it what humanity did over the last 70 years? Made the world unlivable?
Let me try to explain why I'm saying that.
The literal translation of "Dystopia", from its Greek origin into the English language, reads as "not-good place"; an antonym of utopia. Dystopian societies appear in many artistic works, most notably, in stories set in a future time period. Dystopias are often characterized by dehumanization, totalitarian governments, ruthless megacorporations, environmental disaster, or other characteristics associated with a dramatic decline in society. Dystopian societies appear in many subgenres of fiction, oftentimes being used to draw attention to potential or real-world trends combined with societal issues. Examples of popular topics include environmental, cultural, political, economical, religious, psychological, ethical, scientific, and technological issues; all of which, if left unaddressed, have the potential outcome of a dystopia. (courtesy of Wikipedia)
Sorry to say, but this paragraph above sounds pretty much like the world we live in currently, isn't it?
I mean, over the last 10-15 years, we have seen the undeniable rise of
Dehumanization: a systematic process of depriving a person or group or even a racial group of certain human qualities, advantages or benefits (seen in various countries around the world).
Totalitarian governments: as per the current official list, there are only two places in the world with this type of government (the state of Eritrea and North Korea); but, unofficially and without naming them, there are currently much more countries than that, currently acting with similar totalitarian rules and principles than these two (or even worst, without being called or even considered as totalitarian). I don't want to say too much, but here is a tip: some of the countries I'm thinking about were totalitarian regimes or governments before, sometimes ago, and where part of the official list at some point prior being removed (any idea which ones I'm thinking about? Google "totalitarian countries 2020" and you'll easily find the answer).
Ruthless megacorporations: by definition (from Wikipedia) {...a massive conglomerate (usually private), holding monopolistic or near-monopolistic control over multiple markets (thus exhibiting both a horizontal and a vertical monopoly). Megacorps are so powerful that they can ignore the law, possess their own heavily armed (often military-sized) private armies, be the operator of a privatized police force, hold "sovereign" territory, and even act as outright governments. They often exercise a large degree of control over their employees,...}. No need to name them either, you definitely have an idea, but here is a clue, just in case, some of these "Megacorporations" and/or also known as "CorporNation" for some of them (half company, half virtual-government), go by the name of "GAFA"... (rings the bell?)
Environmental disasters: natural or man-made? Difficult to distinguish them anymore, as men have essentially created either directly or indirectly almost all the problems they have had to face in history (so far), more especially environmental problems (despite whatever the sceptics and other deniers can say about it) since the industrial revolution, and even more rapidly and at a greater extent since World War II (chemicals, plastics, etc, etc...). For the past 30 years, (at least), scientists and specialists (even some politicians and other personalities) have been trying to warn us that we are heading fast into a wall on which we will inevitably crash, at some point (probably sooner than we think), if we do not change our daily habits and ways of living and considering life altogether, in order to preserve all livings and beings on earth (including us too, of course). But, did we listen or do anything to change things? No, of course not. As the efforts of the minority are in vain, usually overwhelmed and reduced to nothing by the lack of efforts from the majority.
And how could people change anyway? First, people don't want to change or let's say it is very difficult for them to change. As, MJ used to sing: "If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make a change". However, despite lots of good intentions, sadly and unfortunately, most people usually don't change... (me included, sigh).
And, secondly, even if they wanted to change, they could not as their mind is already focused on, taken or too absorbed by other worries, issues and problems on a daily basis.
It is a known fact and a common reality, that, out of 99% of the world population: a third is suffering from high mortality due to poverty, diseases, famines and malnutrition; another third is suffering from wars, genocides, rebellions, strikes, corruptions and mass migrations: and the last third is suffering from social, relational, familial and financial (and even psychological) problems associated with difficulties they have to face on a daily basis like the rising cost of living in general, further difficulties to make ends meet, expensive housing, high rent, low or decreasing salary no more in part with the cost of living, no spare money to buy a vehicle, needless to say, a house, and even less to be able to pay for medicine, treatment and other medical needs, even less to go anywhere on weekends or take any vacations.
Even buying a cup of coffee occasionally has become a luxury some people cannot even afford anymore. More and more people are suffering from loneliness, sadness, depression, reclusion, deprivation. Some even work 2 or 3 jobs sometimes to barely be able to pay their bills and taxes and make more and more sacrifices to be able to put food on the table, send their kids to school if they can and survive, under the unconcerned watch of the 1%, who get richer and richer.
So, even if they wanted to, how could they think about changing their habits and daily routine, recycling and think about the environment and preserving the planet, when they barely survive their daily life in a world ruled by (badly ageing and controversial) religions, (corrupt and controversial) politics and (dirty) money?
Other characteristics associated with a dramatic decline in society: .... sigh.... don't even get me started on that or this post will be longer than 40 pages long just on that vast subject... (some of these characteristics are already partially cited in the paragraphs above...)
Let's just conclude by saying, (like in the Wikipedia definition above), that environmental, cultural, political, economical, religious, psychological, ethical, scientific, and technological issues; all of which, if left unaddressed (as they have been for the last 2-3 decades), have the potential outcome of a dystopia.
A worsening situation
And the coronavirus COVID-19 is not helping with this degrading and depressing situation, and even less helping on dissipating the idea that the world could eventually become a dystopian world in a not-so-distant future... unfortunately... sigh...
The COVID-19 situation is very alarming as its impact on the world economy and its consequences are exponential and can already be felt around the globe (only 2 months in the making). Major economical and financial sectors are struggling and all markets are affected, none of them was spared: trade and financial markets, commercial markets, housing markets, food and beverage, travelling and tourism, viticulture, agriculture, etc...
Everyone around the world is now feeling the consequences and the daily annoyances generated by the spreading of the coronavirus. All offices and businesses (big, but more especially small to medium businesses and freelancers and start-up companies with less financial backbones and reserves than bigger companies) are greatly affected.
Public places and other businesses including schools, sports clubs, art galleries, museums, exhibitions centres, attraction parks, restaurants, bars, boutiques, touristic venues, shopping stores and malls, discotheques, clubs, public centres and places, etc, etc... (and so much more other types of businesses), are either opened but having no business, temporary closed, filing for bankruptcy, or letting go at some of their employees due to lack of business and/or no possibility to paid or justify their position any longer.
Consequently, due to travelling not being recommended over the last few weeks, the ones suffering the most from the coronavirus, other than those who passed away and their respective families and friends mourning them, are the ones living mainly from the tourism (and thus the affluence of the tourists), I'm talking about all the small to medium businesses, in big towns for sure, but more especially in small to medium rural and touristic towns in general, where niche boutique stores and local mum and pop stores living mainly on what tourists spend and less on the locals, have seen in dismay their business slowing down and even coming to a halt for many of them in the recent weeks. Obliging them in some cases to take drastic decisions with their employees and suppliers, and even close down their business, being in the impossible situation to remain open.
It is a sad reality lived by thousands of people lately. A dramatic situation which has only started to happen within the last few weeks, and which will surely last for a long while and generate some irremediable consequences and sequels for millions of people. And in my opinion, and without being too pessimistic, I believe that this is just the beginning. This situation will worsen by the day in the up-and-coming weeks and months, as the virus continues to spread on, in more countries, states and regions of the world.
It is just a logical analyse of the situation. If the virus continues to spread at this pace and the world financial and commercial economy collapse even further, the whole world will be in turmoil, people will lose their jobs, won't be able to pay their bills, taxes, rent, debts, as they will need the money for their immediate daily needs... businesses will close and the world may (will) spiral into a very chaotic mess very rapidly.
We have already witnessed the craze, chaos and confusion created by the few weeks of mass-hysteria and panic-shopping, early February in Asia and more recently in Europe, for masks, toilet papers, house products as well as storable food (rice, pasta, canned food, etc...). And the same situation will occur again very soon, if, and, more especially, when people start to lose their jobs and businesses close (which has already started).
France and Italy are now the two most affected European countries, and the virus has had already some devasting (and irreversible in some cases) consequences, as well as in the US (despite whatever the head of the government wants to say). My thoughts go to my parents, family and friends in France, Europe in general and the US too. Hoping that you are ok. Take really good care of yourself and stay safe.
The Thanos Theory
Could this coronavirus situation become a Thanos theory in the making?
You know the intention of Thanos, Marvel's mightiest supervillain (to date, so far), was to eradicate half of all livings and beings in the entire universe, to rebalance the universe as he sees it, based on the inevitable destruction of his own planet Titan due to over-population, over-production and over-consumption of the resources. A fate that it is most likely to happen to earth at some point in a not-so-distant future (another theory for the dystopian world I started to evoke in the paragraphs above) if we continue on the path we are on (and have been on for the past few decades).
Not to fall into the gloomy and morbid conspiracy theory trap, but I'm mean, understand the situation and let's put things on the table.
For decades now, it has been said that we are too many people on earth and that earth won't be able to feed us all if the population continues to grow at this rate, and if we continue to over-produce and over-consume all the resources. As per the www.worldometers.info, as of today (March 2020), we are now nearly 7.8 billion people on the planet and will be, apparently, an estimated 9 billion by 2030. And I doubt that we would have mastered space travelling and high-speed propulsion within the next 10 years (if you see what I mean).
According to https://www.overshootday.org/ by late July this year, most developed countries will have had their respective earth overshoot day, and we will have consumed around 1.75 earth. Knowing that if we were to produce and consume at the pace of some of the most developed countries, we will need the equivalent of 2.8 earths by mid-year to feed the whole earth population.
So, consequently, some people working for the governments are evidently working on the problems, 24/7, to find solutions officially, right? But unofficially, are they really trying? It is easy to think that they are not... As we all know, big companies have the power of decisions over the governments and governments adjust their politics depending on the interest of the big companies and lobbyists. It has always been like that, even more so, over the last 2 decades especially, as it has become a clear and undeniable fact, in which the media and the press also have a certain influence on the decisions that are made somehow...
Hence, technically, we could say that governments (of the richest and most developed countries) have (deliberately) acted like Thanos for decades by letting wars, famines, genocides, rebellions, and other disturbing things (diseases, virus, etc...) to happen to the people of the world (more especially in the less developed countries, but also into their own countries too), first, for political, economical and financial reasons; secondly, because it profits them or someone they are affiliated with (everything on earth has something to do with religion, politic, power and money, we all know that and are all either benefiting or suffering directly or indirectly from it), and thirdly, for a morbid demographic reason, because it allows balancing earth population...
And, whether released intentionally or unintentionally, an uncontrollable virus, like COVID-19, is no exception to the rule... and could be a solution to many problems some governments have been facing over the last 20 years (with no solution)...
I'm just putting this here for you to think about it. And I could develop further my theory on this subject, but I will stop here as I may have just said too much already...
Conspiracy Theory?
Conspiracy theories and rumours have been flooding all over social media and the internet in general since early January 2020, but 3 of them, in particular, have been the recurring subjects of many articles and posts and comments on social media. And the public is questioning, with good reasons, whether they could be true, as they are definitely plausible. Everyone is free to make his or her own judgement. However, after reading a lot about them and watching a few videos, here are the most rational answers I could think of:
1. First Theory: The COVID-19 coronavirus is man-made and has been created in one of the 2 laboratories of virology of Wuhan, which are, apparently, the only 2 laboratories of virology in the whole China, (Wuhan Institute of Virology and WuXi PharmaTech), studying and working with biological substances and dangerous viruses. And has been released deliberately.
It is common knowledge that human coronaviruses (HCoVs) were first described in the 1960s for patients with the common cold. Since then, more HCoVs have been discovered, in both human and animals, including those that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and now COVID-19. (*****)
The scientific and military study and genetic modifications of coronaviruses dating back several decades (to the late-80s), it is quite possible that some of these viruses may have been modified and designed with the intention to be used as weapons of destruction (biological weapon). Whether COVID-19 is one of them and whether it has been released intentionally or unintentionally, I would not know. In any case, there are scientific proofs that, over the last 10 years, some human and animal coronaviruses have been modified to create mutant and recombinant pathogenic viruses to be used for different purposes.
Even some scientists and specialists who studied the DNA of the coronavirus COVID-19 over the last two months are saying that a particular fragment of its DNA sequence can only have been inserted in a laboratory. Therefore, the probability that COVID-19 is a man-made virus is not to be excluded. And the fact that it might have been released in the wet market, where the virus has supposedly originated from and first believed to be from animals like snakes, bats or even pangolin, makes it for a very convenient excuse (not to be excluded either).
2. Second Theory: COVID-19 circumstances and events have strange similitudes with the story of a fiction/thriller novel called "The eyes of darkness" written by Dean Koontz and released in 1981. Could Dean Koontz have predicted it would happen? Or could it be the work of one deranged fan?
The book tells the story of a mother (Tina Evans) who sets out on a quest to find out if her son (Danny) truly did die one year ago, or if he is still alive. Written nearly 40 years ago, the book describes in details a pandemic occurring from China, in the year 2020, due to a "dangerous new biologic weapon" (a virus) created by a Chinese military lab as part of its biological weapons programme. The lab is located in Wuhan (or just outside Wuhan), which lends the virus its name "Wuhan-400", also nicknamed "the perfect weapon" as it can wipe out entire cities or even countries, without any fight or destruction.
You need to admit that the rhetoric and similarities between the story of the book and current events are mind-boggling (to say the least): a deadly virus originated from the city of Wuhan in China occurring in the year 2020. Wow... Who would have thought such a thing could have happened exactly like in a book written 40 years ago? (it almost makes you wonder about time travel too, isn't it?).
Yet, other big events have been "predicted", I prefer to say "envisioned", before by other authors and filmmakers. And it was not difficult for Dean Koontz, after doing some research about it for his book, to envision such a thing could happen in China and more evidently in the city of Wuhan, as the Wuhan Institute of Virology has been created in the late 1950s and it was the only laboratory in China studying and working with viruses and biological substances at the time.
Now the fact that it happened in 2020 (more exactly late 2019) could be simply coincidental, or if you want to push the conspiracy theory a little further it could also be the work of a fan, a scientist working at the laboratory of virology for example. Because, at the end of the day, it just takes a fanatic and/or deranged scientist (working in a virology lab and with access to such dangerous biological weapon as a modified coronavirus, obviously) to put into practice or application what he or she could have read in the book of Koontz. Same disease, same country, the same city as the origin of the pandemic and the same year. Deranged people with "evil" plans, following exactly (to a fault) the story of a book or even a movie, has not been unheard of and it would not be the first time in history that this kind of deranged scenario has happened. Some people are definitely crazy enough to do it, for sure.
3. Third Theory: The Coronavirus COVID-19 has been released in China, by somebody else than the Chinese, to destabilize the world economic and financial market, while the rest of the world conveniently accuse China of it... or was released in China to only affect its growing economy and population (without thinking that the consequences would affect also the rest of the world).
That theory is the most complex and the most defiant, as it implies political, financial and economical interests and reasons, as well as global demographic concerns. As implied above in the Thanos Theory, what if the virus could have been released for these particular reasons and concerns?
I mean let's face it. Besides the tensions and trade wars between the US and China (and also Europe), the world is in turmoil with all sorts of problems (political, economical, financial and demographic, and more...) that have become harder and harder to solve. Needless to mention the pollution of the air, water and ground, as well as the lack of resources due to overproduction and overconsumption, global warming, climate change, the increase of disasters (both natural and man-made or as consequences of men activities should I say), and so on, and so on...
Some people are even thinking that it feels like if we are at the end of a cycle and inevitably we are going to crash into the world and that things must change now for the world to be in a better state. And we all know life has no reset button, but what if COVID-19 had been released intentionally to act as a reset button for the planet?
That in mind, somehow it would not even be surprising to think that someone else than the Chinese may be involved with the release of this virus directly or indirectly. Especially knowing the fact that:
Asian ethnic groups are, apparently, more vulnerable to the novel coronavirus than other ethnic groups.
The 2nd laboratory of virology in Wuhan, WuXi PharmaTech, is owned/financed by the Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros
The Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, is now saying that the virus may not come from China, as anybody really knows the origin of its source for sure.
Now with this 3 theories in mind, I let you think about them and make your own judgement. Are they true or false? Who knows? Yet, they are likely plausible. But I don't think we will ever know the truth about how this whole situation really started.
Xenophobia and Racism
Aside from being dangerous, due to being nearly undetectable during the incubation period of 10-14 days (on average) prior to showing the first symptoms and spreading rapidly, and aside from endangering the global economic and financial markets, as well as creating havoc and chaos on its path generating waves of panic, hysteria and uncertainty, COVID-19 also contributed to a growing (or the increase of an already existing) sentiment of xenophobia and racism towards Chinese people and Asians in general. More especially in the US and Europe where, nowadays, for most white Caucasians, (as absurd as it may seem) any Asian seems to be a Chinese coming straight from Wuhan to avoid at all costs.
A sudden surge of xenophobia and racism is usually considered as normal in a time of an epidemic, as people feel the need to resent the people from the country the epidemic originally started from (i.e. China for COVID-19). Yet, China was already on the radars of mainstream-Americans and -Europeans due to the ongoing Sino-American trade war affecting most of the western countries in between. And, China was also, already, the subjects of many discussions, topics and articles over the last few years due to President Xi Jinping and the controversial internal and external policies he has put in place since his arrival in March 2013.
Consequently, the sudden apparition of a lethal novel coronavirus coming amid this climate of tension between the US, China and Europe, already experiencing an increase of nationalism and the rising of some extreme right parties and ideas (more especially in many European countries), exacerbated the situation even more and led to this growing sentiment of xenophobia and racism towards Chinese people and Asians in general. It created a fear that some people in the US and Europe (and surely elsewhere) now have in or when interacting with any Asian person whatsoever. A fear that has, unfortunately, and for no reasonable reasons, escalated into strong words, bullying, aversion, discrimination and even violence in some instances.
The stupidity of some people will never cease to amaze me...
Where are we with the COVID-19?
Let's conclude this post with the main subject which is the coronavirus itself: COVID-19
Hopefully, the world will not become a dystopian one if we act on it now and make the right decisions and take the right directions (, and, hoping that I'm wrong about my Thanos theory too).
So, let's talk numbers, as numbers usually don't lie.
First and foremost, let's look at the total reported numbers of infected COVID-19 cases in the world as of today 05.03.2020 (data from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/)
Total Reported Infected Cases: 95,607
Total Reported Deaths: 3,287
Total Active Cases: 38,620 (including 6,420 cases considered as serious or critical)
Total Recovered since Jan 22 2020: 53,700
As per the worldometers website, the coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 85 countries and territories around the world and 1 international conveyance (the Diamond Princess cruise ship harboured in Yokohama, Japan). Which represent 5 additional countries between yesterday 04.03.20 when I started writing this post and now, today (05.03.20)
A visual is always worth a thousand words, so here is a map of today's total reported numbers of infected COVID-19 cases in the world per country (05.03.2020).
Here is the list with the details per country as of 05.03.2020 (courtesy of https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/)
So, what else can I say about the coronavirus to complement my two previous posts on the subject (if interested, read them here and here)
The age ranges
We know that the virus appears to be more virulent with people above 45 years old, and more especially above 65 years old with medical conditions and/or pre-dispositions (comorbidities, certain handicaps, etc...). On the other end, it seems that barely any babies or toddlers or teenagers or even adults up to 30 years are concerned. Of course, there are few exceptions to this rule (and there will always be), but so far it seems quite accurate to say so.
If we put the estimated deaths rate % per age group in a chart, the chart will roughly look like the one below (©DBSN 2020 based on various sources):
Other Killer Viruses for comparison
Let's try to do a little list of killer viruses and their respective yearly death toll to also do a comparison (like everybody else).
NB: The total amount of deaths for COVID-19 in the graph above is and has to be taken only as a projection/estimation for the year 2020, based on the current pace and propagation rate of the COVID-19 coronavirus, which is roughly about 1,500 deaths per month, and thus an estimated projected/estimated total of 18,000 deaths by the end of the year 2020 (if the virus is not controlled and if it continues to spread and kill at the same rate until the end of the year). Therefore, this total was just estimated as a projection for comparison use only, with the total deaths per year of other common killer viruses, and may not be and should not be taken as representative of the actual situation at the end of the year 2020.
Thank you for reading this post, and stay safe.
In the space of a few days, by the time I finished writing and editing this post, the toll of the coronavirus COVID-19 rose from roughly 95,600 to more than 110,000 reported infected cases and from 3,287 to more than 3,800 deaths around the world. And the number of affected countries roughly rose from 85 to 110.
I have a very bad feeling about this...
Domelgabor & DBSN
Sources:
(*) All illustrations and graphics by ©DBSN 2020
(**) All maps created via data on excel inserted in Map Chart Powered by Bing
(© GeoNames, HERE, MSET, Microsoft, Navinfo, Thinkware Extract, Wikipedia), based on data sourced from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ as of 04, 05 and 06.03.2020
(***) All data and info on the coronavirus and other subjects contained in this post sourced from
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 https://www.centralhealth.com.hk/
(****) Recommendations and advice are available on the WHO website at https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public and have also been provided in HK by the https://www.centralhealth.com.hk/ you can also check and/or download the HK Central Health Medical Practice updated FAQ about the Novel Coronavirus Infection as of 02.03.2020 (here)
(*****) Read more info about the mutant and recombinant pathogenic coronavirus on the US national library of Medicine https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27012512-epidemiology-genetic-recombination-and-pathogenesis-of-coronaviruses/
#domelgabor #Domelgabor @domelgabor ©Domelgabor 2020 #DBSN #dbsn @DBSN @dbsn ©DBSN 2020 #coronavirus #covid19 #virus #dystopia #dystopianworld #theory #leshistoiresadom