Objective
- Define the current conditions of COVID-19
- Identify and find out the efficient ways to protect or prevent
- To provide awareness to Myanmar community
The outcomes from this research will be beneficial for academic students especially to the students who will volunteer as respondents in this research and they will be able to see through what the world up to after this research achieves.
Introduction
China is one of the Myanmar’s neighboring country connected by social and economy globalization. Thus, the outbreak of new coronavirus shocked the entire world including Myanmar. Since, the epidemic spreads quickly, it would be better for community to acknowledge the critical circumstances.
The goals of this study are to explore what impacts might be trouble dealing in our community concerned with nCoV (COVID-19) and how far can educate the society about this infection.
What is Coronavirus Exactly?
COVID-19 is a new virus which is emerging as a zoonosis in all over the world especially in China and has been struggled to contain it. Symptoms can be ranged from mild common to other lethal disease. Similar with other respiratory virus, it mostly happens with close contacts (within 6 feet) and affects person to person. World Health Organization (WHO) named the new coronavirus as COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) on February 11, 2020.
Origin of the Virus
In terms of the original of COVID-19, there are a lot of arguable facts and stories. National institute of Allergy and Infection Diseases posted on a social media and a scientific paper described that the coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 was possibly originated in a virology lab in Wuhan, China. Researchers from the institute have made a stand there is no link between the epidemic and their laboratory. Xing Lou Yang from the Wuhan institute of Virology released a paper which described the COVID-19 was 96% identical at the whole-genome level to a bat coronavirus and share 79.5% sequence identical to SARS-COV. Furthermore, the statement from the Lancet Medical Journal mentioned that they stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 do not have a natural origin. COVID-19 initially appears within a group of people with pneumonia (possibility of 59 cases) in areas around Huanan seafood market. However, no data has shown virus derives from the market.
Present Situation About COVID-19
Wuhan, Hubei province, where the center of the epidemic of COVID-19 is under the ban of public transportations including air transport services and the city is locked down on January 23, 2020 to rest assure that virus did not transmit to outside of the city. However, since the virus can spread through person to person which make difficulties in controlling the virus for China. There is a probability showing that infected people who got chances to reach out to the outside of China before the lockdown, might spread the virus for the reason that the incubation period of virus is around 14 days. In February 21, 2020, 76769 infected cases and 2247 death cases are confirmed according to World Health Organization (WHO). The National Health Commission of China (NHC) proclaimed on 4 February 2020 that national fatality rate was 2.1% decreasing from 2.3% of the start while World Health Organization (WHO) still uncertain to decide percentage of global lethality rate 2% estimate as it says it is too soon to go straight to conclusion.
How the Authorities Control and Prevent?
There is no special treatment for this new coronavirus but a lot of supportive healthcare are provided. Although vaccine or antiviral drug is not available yet, infectious patients have been treated in separated rooms to provide better advanced support for individual. First priority of this epidemic is to expand the therapeutics of COVID-19 with the suitable management of clinical methods. Authorities from respective fields have been attempting to work out on effective containment and making afford to cooperate with relevant experts from medical fields. To add Myanmar into consideration, Myanmar is also included in matter of concern for COVID-19.
As we discussed above, the vast majority of people have been encountering with current crisis while in Myanmar, our government was putting effort on evacuating Myanmar students from China yet didn’t fail to engage with WHO’s instructions for prevention. In addition, the students had been put under an observation for fourteen days in advance as preventive measure. This shows that Myanmar also have been implementing precautions upon COVID-19. Nevertheless, there are people out there who don’t fully understand the existing condition. Besides, spread of rumors about COVID-19 in our society is confusing and terrifying us with fault information. In case, it can lead to increase the exposure of virus if we ignore about it. Hence, this research will be investigating on how far the community can comprehend about safety measures mainly in parts where people might be missing out and questioning about.
Methodology (Qualitative)
The research will be heading to do semi-structured interview to the limited number of academic students in our surrounding to see viewpoints of them on this infectious disease so that we will be able to solve the misconception. We will explore how students respond to our specific open- ended questions which are described below:
- If your country is at the peak of being infected by the coronavirus, what actions would you take to protect you and your family?
- Upon the news of the coronavirus, tell us some health care tips that you have come across.
- How do you distinguish traits of the mass media about COVID-19 which now has an influence on the general public?
- Give us your thoughts on how the Myanmar government has been handling the evacuation process of the Myanmar students from China.
- What practical strategies can the Myanmar government use to improve at potential health and safety policies in this kind of global crisis?
Raising awareness to students is one of the reasons to do this research. Thus, after the interview, oral presentation will be structured depending on the close analysis of their feedback and by addressing on it. The purpose of it is to make sure there is nothing left out on what is actually happening in the world. The time boundary will be within 7- 14 days.
Conclusion
In the present situation, the worldwide organizations from the respective fields are proceeding on the containment of the global outbreak. In contrast, the panic set up by unrealistic news to the community is getting worse because they share not only false material about COVID-19 but also about safety precautions to avoid it. So it is a right thing to acknowledge the relevant information and stop the panic for the public. We expect that this study will be educational and helpful to academic students as well as learners who are exploring in these aspects.
References
- Chaolin Huang*, Yeming Wang*, Xingwang Li*, et al. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Volume395, P497-506, FEBRUARY 15,2020 (Published online JANUARY 24, 2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30183-5
- [Jing Wu 1, Michelle Gamber 2 and Wenjie Sun 3,4,* Does Wuhan need to be in Lockdown during the Chinese Lunar New Year? Received: 31 January 2020 / Accepted: 1 February 2020 / Published: 5 February 2020 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17031002
- Macintyre, C.R., 2020. Wuhan novel coronavirus 2019nCoV – update February 7th 2020. Global Biosecurity, 1(3), p.None. DOI: http://doi.org/10.31646/gbio.52
- World health Organization (WHO). Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation reports – 32 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) 21 February 2020 (Published online FEBRUARY 21, 2020) https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports
- World Health Organization (WHO), January 29, 2020 Update on the situation regarding the new coronavirus
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Mortality Rate February 18, 11:45 GMT https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-death-rate/#ref-1
- Charles Calisher, Dennis Carroll, Rita Colwell, Ronald B Corley, Peter Daszak, Christian Drosten et al. Statement in support of the scientists, public health professionals, and medical professionals of China combatting COVID-19 Published: February 19 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30418-9
- Peng Zhou, Xing-Lou Yang, […]Zheng-Li Shi A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin Nature (2020) published online 3 February, 2020 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2012-7
- Jon Cohen Scientists ‘strongly condemn’ rumors and conspiracy theories about origin of coronavirus outbreak Science magazine Feb. 19, 2020, 7:00 AM Published online Feb 19 https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/scientists-strongly-condemn-rumors-and-conspiracy-theories-about-origin-coronavirus
- ZARNI MANN Myanmar Evacuates 59 Students From Virus-Hit Wuhan, China The Irrawaddy 2 February 2020 https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-evacuates-59-students-virus-hit-wuhan-china.html
