Who would have thought that the start of 2020 of which the new beginning was supposed to be the moment to correct the wrongs and the mistakes from the previous year, to tailor many more dreams as the steps to a more progressive living but turns out to be the catastrophe that befell us, the global citizens. For the majority of people, the new year is often regarded as the symbol of a new resolve to take action. But in this context, the image has been shattered as this New Year is accompanied by an unprecedented and terrifying outbreak.
There are a number of diseases that have brought terror to us far before the corona epidemic strikes. To explain the problem, I quoted from the page of Minanews.net, it is stated that in the past two decades, there were several viruses that have infected and even reduced the human population. Some of the viruses are:
SARS Virus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)
SARS was first discovered in Guangdong, China in November 2002. The virus was soon becoming rampant and led to widespread to 26 countries only in a matter of a year. Approximately 800 people worldwide have died after being infected with this virus. The origin of this virus is known to have come from a bat, it was then spread to other animals such as cats then infect humans through respiration.
MERS Virus (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome)
The emergence of this virus could be dated back to the year of 2012 in Saudi Arabia. Not long after the discovery, the virus was becoming a phenomenon in 26 countries. The death toll of this virus is reported to be 858 out of 2494 cases.
In late 2019, our world is greeted back with the discovery of a frightening virus, the coronavirus, that was originated in the same birthplace as SARS virus, China. According to the description from Wikipedia.org, corona derived from the Latin word “corona” that bears the meaning “crown” or “flower arrangements. The naming itself is based on the structure of the structure which has a big projection at the outer edge that resembles the crown appearance.
Kumparannews.com made a publication of one article, and it is stated there that the genesis of this virus could be traced on the way back to Hubei in China. The virus infected a 55 years old man and later on wide-spread to other regions.
The virus made its way to Indonesia and its existence was first confirmed by the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo on March 2nd, 2020. A mother and her child made the first two positive cases in Indonesia. They got infected after coming in contact with Japanese citizen. Throughout last March, Kompas.com created the report that titled “Recap of the Corona Cases in March and the April Forecast”, the report details the number of cases since the first confirmed case until the end of March is mounted to be 1528 cases with 136 people died and 81 people recovered from the virus.
The indiscriminate targeting that has also become the characteristic of the corona has guaranteed this virus a seat in the spotlight, and soon after it has embedded in every public conversation throughout the world. According to the report of Corona positive cases from the affected countries, the pace of which the virus spread is rapid. It was also noted that Corona requires only 24 hours to breed a significant number of cases.
The most common symptoms in the COVID-19 case are fever, fatigue, dry coughing, nasal congestion, cold, sore throat, and diarrhea. These symptoms are distinguished as mild and they appear gradually. But, there are also cases of the infected people are not even showing symptoms. Elderly persons and the people having past illnesses are considered to be more susceptible to COVID-19. People could also catch the virus from others through the tiny droplets from sneezing and coughing. When these tiny droplets landed on something and later that thing coming in contact with people, then unbeknownst to the people, they would start touching their facial areas which lead to them becoming more vulnerable.
However, we need not worry as the risks and the spread of the virus could be leveled down by following the measures below:
1. Use soap or alcohol-based antiseptic liquid to wash hands with the running water.
2. Maintain a distance of 1.5 to 2 meters while in the crowd to avoid having in contact with someone.
3. Avoid touching facial areas (eyes, nose, and mouth) as those could possibly be the entry point of the virus after someone coming in contact with us.
4. Coughing or sneezing into tissue or bent-elbows.
5. To prevent the risk of getting infected, stay at home as much as possible if there is no urgency.
6. Avoid traveling far or to the affected spots of COVID-19.
7. If the symptoms such as fever, coughing, or having a short of breath are showing, see the doctor immediately.
8. The utmost important is to pray to Allah SWT for our safety.
Despite bringing sorrows alongside us, the outbreak has a silver lining riding along with it. We should be aware of the fact that Allah is not testing or bringing catastrophe to its servants, but rather there are wisdoms behind the act. We should also be more conscious that human is only a little living being and a helpless creature before God. Therefore, we should always ask to Allah for our safety. Moreover, I am hoping that this phenomenon could help us contemplating the human-made mistakes that are possibly harmful to the earth.
Written by Nanda Rahmad
Translated by Priscillia Sharon