COVID19
As a veterinarian and as a scientific researcher studying the ecological and evolutionary factors driving the emergence and pandemic potential of infectious diseases at the human-animal interface, here are my personal thoughts on COVID19 pandemic developments.
COVID19 statistics and research: great resources at ourworldindata.org.
Poster 19 May 2020
COVID19: losing battles or winning the war?
“Every battle is won or lost before it is even fought.” This statement is attributed to Sun Tzu in the Art of War, an ancient Chinese military treatise dated from the fifth century BC. It highlights the importance of preparation, positioning and planning before engaging in battle. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic painfully revealed how many countries had embarked on a battle that was lost even long before the new coronavirus had reached their borders. More strikingly, most have persisted in this defeatist attitude as the crisis deepened, failing to re-direct their strategy. Living with SARS-CoV-2 by returning as closely as possible to “business as usual” is far from winning the battle. It rather looks like “giving in to the enemy”, while vaccine and drug development efforts only feed the dearest hope for a successful way out.
Leslie A. Reperant & Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus
One Health Outlook. 2020; 2(1): 9.
Published online 2020 May 19. doi: 10.1186/s42522-020-00019-2
Posted 6 May 2020
Posted 15 March 2020
Addendum: Germany actually implemented early an effective test and contact tracing strategy.
Outbreak control measures coordinated and implemented by veterinary services along much similar lines across countries are very effective in containing (imported or emerging) infectious diseases in animals. These measures are typically enforced upon the first detected case(s). Here is how it would translate for humans. So far, control measures have been highly variable across regions and countries and have been quite sluggishly enforced. The socio-economic impact of such measures is never inconsequential, yet it tends to increase rapidly with any delay of implementation.
Posted 12 March 2020
Posted 4 March 2020
