Abstract
Year 2020 proved to be a nightmare for globalhealthandeconomyby widespreadoutbreakofcoronavirus acrosstheglobe.Firstreportedat Wuhan,thecapitalcityofHubei provinceofChinaaspneumoniaof unknowncauseonDecember31, 12019.Withinaweek,anovel coronavirus was isolated from patients 2inWuhan,andwithinnextmonth WHOdeclareditas“PublicHealth Emergency of International Concern”. WHOnamedthisdiseaseasnew coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) 1on February 11, 2020.On March 11, 2020,WHOdeclaredCOVID-19as 3pandemic.As per WHO COVID-19 situationReport–70,totalconrmed casesofCOVID-19untilMarch30, 2020 were 693224 and deaths due to 4COVID-19 were 33106 in the world.COVID-19 has affected more than 200 countries and regions in a very short period.InPakistan,sincethe conrmation of rst case on February 26, 2020; the total conrmed cases of COVID-19 are 1,865 and 25 deaths till 5March 31, 2020.Theunprecedentedpandemicof COVID-19ledtoapanicsituation around the world. The major issue is to prevent the spread of corona virus to otherregions.Recentreportshave conrmedtheperson-to-person transmission of COVID-19, leading to affecttheimmediatecontactsof patients including health-care workers. People traveling from the affected areas arethepotentialsourceofdisease 6,7transmission.This led to international anddomestictraveland/ortrade restrictioninaffectedareasand quarantine for returning travelers by variouscountries.Toensuresocial distancingamongcommonpeople, lock-down of provinces, regions and citieswasexecutedbyvarious countries. WHO recommends public health education regarding promotion of personal hygiene like washing hands, useofsanitizers,ensuringcough etiquette and avoiding crowded places (religiousplaces,markets,etc)as preventive strategy. However, decision regardinglockdownandtravel restrictionisverydifcultdueto nancial reasons and to maintain the supply-chain of essential goods and food items.Delayindecision-making regardingsuchactionsbysome countries resulted in rapid spread of COVID-19withincreasedmorbidity and mortality. Italy (n=10781) and Spain (n=6528)aresuchcountrieswith highest number of COVID-19 related 4deathssofar.Inresource-poor countrieslikePakistan,thedecision regardingcompletelock-downand socialdistancingcouldbevery challenging due to socioeconomic and otherreason
Akhtar Sherin. (2020) CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19): A CHALLENGE OF PROTECTING THE GENERAL POPULATION AND HEALTH-CARE WORKERS, KHYBER MEDICAL UNIVERSITY JOURNAL, Volume 12, Issue 1.
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