Article Preview
TopIntroduction
The Covid-19 disease was first noticed in Wuhan in China, late 2019. The first assumption was probably that this was one of the seasonal influenzas that used to appear at this time of year (Du, et.al., 2020). It was however discovered that the cause was a new brand of the Corona virus, given the name SARS-CoV-2 (Abbas et.al., 2020). The exact origin of the virus is however unknown, and still is. A possible source for the virus was a nearby wet market where wild animals were sold (Mizumoto, et.al., 2020). Initially, the risk level was downplayed. Wuhan´s health authorities claimed that there was no apparent human-to-human transmission on December 31 (Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, 2019). This information was repeated by WHO on January 14 (World Health Organization, 2020a). The epidemic was officially announced by the Chinese authorities on January 20. Previous Corona viruses like SARS and MERS had both been much more lethal than a typical seasonal flu (Petersen, et.al., 2020). The forceful reaction from health authorities in Wuhan included tracing, quarantining and isolation of people that showed symptoms. The enforced isolation of symptomatic individuals vividly shown on many news reports at the time gave the impression that the virus was very contagious and possibly very deadly. The strict actions were not strange considering the high-risk potential of a Corona virus epidemic where medical treatment and vaccine did not exist. When the Covid-19 disease appeared in North Italy soon after, stressing the capacities of hospitals and intensive care units, similar lockdown measures were also implemented there. As the virus spread to other countries, so did the strict mitigation reactions. Most countries were rather unprepared as stated by the WHO Director-General in his opening remarks at the Member State Briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic evaluation - 9 July 2020. There were insufficient stores of antibacterial gel/fluids, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like masks and gloves. Intensive Care Units (ICU) did not have sufficient capacity in regions that had the most severe outbreaks.
How could efforts to mitigate the Covid-19 escalate to a level that comprised the draconian actions implemented in many countries, without any evaluation of alternative courses of action? An understanding of this issue might be of help to be better prepared to manage future disease risks. Note that the statements made in this article do not conclude or advice on what measures were justified or not, a question that can only be fully answered in a couple of years’ time, at best.