Covid-19 is pandemic that plague almost all parts of the world. Being in Sarawak we are not alone. Let us work together in the war against Covid-19 and win this war. Let’s learn the basic strategy in the Art of War on Covid-19.
The illustration that you will see is based on artistic impression for educational purpose only. Below is the video about the Art of War on Covid-19.
Let’s know our enemy
Our enemy is a virus named SARS-CoV-2, which is a shorten form of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2. It is ready known as Covid-19, or Coronavirus disease 2019.
It is not alone. It has a big family of Coronaviridae, in which covid-19 is in the group of Beta Coronavirus. The close notable relatives are the SARS-CoV of 2003 and MERS-CoV of 2012.
The current global pandemic is also known as Covid-19. It is first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Subsequently declared as global health emergency in 30th January 2020 by WHO. On 11 March 2020, WHO declares Covid-19 a global pandemic.
The common Skill effects by this virus is fever, dry cough, tiredness, aches and pains, sore throat, diarrhea, conjunctivitis, headache, loss of taste or smell and skin rashes.
It has remarkable damage achievement globally and locally.
Why you spread so fast one?
Once upon a time when the grass was green and the ground was relatively flat, the green bugs jump happily across the land. Every place it visited, there is more and more of its kind been jumping around.
When humans realize that it doesn’t bring happiness to the land, new question raised.
What strategy to prevent the spread?
Like a game, when the level was low, it is easy to pass a level. Those are time when humans don’t know anything about the green bug yet.
Human realized that it takes a specific path when it moves around. A new strategy of war is raised.
When it is still far …
Humans realized that by keeping a distance away from it will prevent it from passing on easily.
Introducing distance strategy.
Social distancing is one of the known distance strategies. If you can keep 1 meter apart from each other, the infection rate drops drastically. The more the distance, the lower the chance it can pass to the next level.
When it is getting closer …
Now it is in front of you. Humans realized that by setting up a barrier will prevent it from passing on easily.
Introducing barrier strategy.
Face mask, face shield is one of the known barrier strategies. If you keep on your face mask and/or face shield when meeting each other, the infection rate drops drastically.
When it is at your door step …
Now it is on you, but haven’t gets into your body. Humans realized that by cleaning frequently will prevent it from passing on easily.
Introducing clean strategy.
Hand wash, bath is one of the known cleaning strategies. If you clean your hands before and after meeting each other, or before and after touching any shared objects, the infection rate drops.
These three strategies are what formed the basic of standard operating procedure.
Barrier, Distance and Clean.
Face mask, social distancing and hand wash.
Sounds familiar?
But as usual, social distancing is not always done. The bug found a way to pass on.
Barrier is not always used correctly. The bug found a way to pass on.
Hand washing is not always practiced. The bug found a way to pass on.
This is when a new strategy been added. This strategy is now only possible. Barrier, Distance, Clean and Immunity.
Yes Immunity.
When it is already in your body …
Human realized that when the enemy is already in the body, let there be a battle royale.
Introducing immunity.
The army will have to fight the enemy, and that is immunity.
No one can use only one strategy to prevent the invasion. All four strategy must be used at the same time, and the invasion will be delayed or stopped.
What is immunity?
When any intruder come into human body, at first no one will recognize each other.
The enemy will say “hi”.
The guard will say “hi”.
And the master will say “he is clean”.
The enemy passed the guard unharmed.
After some time, more and more similar enemy appears.
This time the enemy creates significant damages.
The enemy will still say “hi”. The guard will say “hi” in alert. And the master is suspicious of the enemy identity.
The more the damage, the alert is built up and now a black listing message and authorizing attack is released by the masters. When the enemy come again and say “hi”, this time the guard already authorized for the attack. And the enemy shall not pass. No, cannot.
These are body immunity. There is the one who guard and attack, and there is the one who remember and call for attack. Both works together to protect the body.
Any of it should not be slept off or not doing their job. No guard means no attack. No memory means no attack. Both works together.
How to get immunity?
The first choice is to be a Covid-19 survivor.
The second choice is to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
The third choice is to be part of the herd immunity.
Let’s talk about becoming a Covid-19 Survivor.
They can only survive Covid-19 if their body already have the immunity against the Covid-19.
How they get the immunity is what we had discussed just now. Get infected, cause damages, body realized the enemy, authorize the attack, remember the enemy and counter attack any similar enemy in the future.
Be a covid-19 survivor is the hardest way. Provided you survived it, and it makes you stronger. Many survived it, and many not survived it.
What if we can shorten the body responds to the enemy when they encounter?
Be vaccinated against Covid-19.
One classical way vaccine worked is by introducing the body inactivated form of the enemy. Or dead enemy.
It is a learning lesson for the body immunity.
They detect, they recognize, they form the basic memory, and they remember what they had seen. Until next time they meet the real enemy, they already know the enemy and fight back early.
Some of the vaccines don’t work the same. They worked by introducing part of the virus into the body.
Part of the virus that don’t do harm but enough to recognize the enemy. It can in the form of message that makes the parts, or actual parts of the virus. These parts don’t have ability to grow active virus.
Something easy to recognize like a birth mark or in this case, the hand or legs of the virus.
Once the body recognize the part of the enemy, now the body will fight back once the mark of the invaders is detected in the upcoming enemy.
Be vaccinated against Covid-19 is the easier way, but provided you agree for it and fit for it.
You cannot be vaccinated if you are fit for it but not agree for it.
You cannot be vaccinated if you are agreed for it but not fit for it.
Covid-19 vaccination is once coming soon but now is available.
Been vaccinated is a privilege. There are always some people not fit for vaccination or need further consideration prior to receive the vaccine.
Hence Herd immunity is the next big thing. Be part of the Herd immunity.
Herd immunity and umbrella analogy
A simple analogy, if a group of people in the open field and no one have an umbrella, when rains come, all will be wet.
If only very few have umbrella, most of the people will still be wet.
If most of the people have umbrella, all will be safe, even some don’t have any.
Not everyone will have umbrella in any event, but with most of the people having umbrella, most If not all will have benefit of been protected.
This is herd immunity.
When herd immunity is achieved, the spread can be delay or limited.
The green is those who are having the immunity, while yellow is those who doesn’t have the immunity yet. The green form an invisible barrier protecting others.
When herd immunity is not achieved, the virus will still spread between the gap reaching potential people who don’t have the immunity.
So, be part of the herd immunity. The final aim, provided most if not all have immunity. Together we form an invisible barrier for those who are not fit for vaccine.
We vaccine our self so that we can protect others who are not fit for vaccine. We work together in the war on Covid-19, no one is left behind.
Which vaccine is the best?
It is the first vaccine you can get to inject. Together we reach a herd immunity faster.
So, after vaccine no need Standard Operation Procedure?
The straight answer is still, no!
It is a continuous process, until a day the virus is eliminated. Yup the 4 strategy still applies, Barrier, Distance, Clean and Immunity.
This is the Art of War on Covid-19.
