The current world health crisis, COVID-19 has been gathering traction but it seems since the World Health Organisation called this a pandemic there has been an escalation unprecedented in governments all over the world enacting restrictions to try to control the damage this virus has and its potential to unleash on us. 
It is important we do this. It may present as a mild cold to some with few if not any symptoms however to many immunosuppressed, health compromised people and elderly in particular, contracting this virus could be deadly. Right now most of us wouldn’t know anyone who has died and let’s hope it stays that way, but without these strict measures of no mass gatherings and quarantine and border control it won’t be long before someone you know or someone they know becomes ill or dies.
We have no vaccine or immunity. At the same time panic will not be helpful. People emptying supermarkets and stockpiling of frozen food, including meat means other vulnerable people who can’t afford to stockpile, who live week to week or have poor mobility and unable to go to multiple stores in multiple areas to find the goods they need, could find themselves in quite a difficult situation.
We have cancelled our trip to Europe we were due to go on at the end of March 2020, in 10 days time. I’m disappointed but it almost felt worse when it was just Italy, one of our destinations in lockdown. Italy went into lock down when it had a spike in deaths and cases. Since the announcement of the pandemic other countries response to COVID -19 seems to have exploded. A few days prior we were still contemplating doing some of our Europe vacation but in the four days following a pandemic announcement everything has gone crazy. I’ve been a bit flat the past few days. I think it has been the build up of excitement followed by a let down with now nothing to really be looking forward to that would equal my first trip to Europe feeling. I’m pushing through because I know it’s temporary but non the less going through the motions of disappointment of something that has been taken out of my control.
Worldwide countries have ramped up their national responses talking about lockdowns, cancelling major world events. The Grand Prix in Melbourne has now been cancelled as excited enthusiasts qued to enter the track, and schools have started shutting down, supermarket shelves empty as people panic and stockpile foods and goods such as toilet paper.
People are being asked to stay home at any sign of a cold or being unwell with flu like symptoms. Cancelling our trip now a no brainer plus the airlines and tour companies have also officially informed us they have cancelled . The whole world is shutting down. Due to this unprecedented situation we have been able to transfer our bookings to same time next year albeit not great. My heart was saying I still want to go and my head was saying this is the best option. Next year when the world has found some normality again we will be pleased we postponed. Well let’s hope it has found some normality by then.
It’s such an odd feeling but totally fascinating to witness the world managing and dealing with the ongoing situation. It is on everyone’s mind. Everyone is talking about it because every single one of us is affected by this. My aunt who is in her 70’s was saying she has never seen anything like this in her lifetime.
It’s even difficult organising events in Australia. You aren’t sure if by the time the event is due to happen will the venue be shut down, will people be in quarantine. It’s tricky even planning an interstate flight for the same reasons. Right now I think we need to sit tight and wait until this health crisis passes.
How long will this situation last. What will it be like next week, next month. Hospitals in Italy are running short on ventilators which helps support ill people’s respiratory function. They are now receiving ventilators from China and consulting with Chinese experts who have gained recent experience from the Chinese outbreak.
It’s serious, it’s frustrating but also fascinating witness what the fallout from disease spread from animals to humans can do. There will and should be much to learn from this. How the world coped. The economic and business effects, human natures good and bad reactions from n us as our survival instinct are stimulated by fear, politics, health care systems, societies as a whole.
In the future this will be history. It will be discussed, reflected on, marveled at, it will be referred back to, movies made over it, books written, policies made and disaster response guidelines drafted in the event it ever happens again. It’s a war of its own. A Third World War but with a foreign body. a non human enemy that has invaded us and threatened our way of life. A non living ‘rogue piece of genetic material’ that is a strand of DNA or RNA, that attaches and invades a host cell then changes the cells normal metabolic activity to make more viral cells. It is explained well in the article link below. Like a rubber dingy of pirates that come up beside a boat, the pirates get aboard then hijack the boat telling the crew what to do and in a virus’s case it’s to clone the hijackers to increase their numbers.
https://link.medium.com/Wb8DzgbhS4
As a virus cannot be killed because it technically isn’t a living creature but it can be destroyed. That’s why vaccines and not antibiotics are necessary because they enable the body to recognise and destroy the invading virus in its early stages before it takes hold on the host as opposed to antibiotic that kill an organism. Let’s hope we get a vaccine sooner rather than later.
Lucy x
Ted Loves Lucy 
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