• NHS Heroes
• Some unanswered questions

NHS Heroes

30 Doctors are among the victims of COVID-19. They are hailed as “Heroes”, but many family members felt that their loved ones paid a high price behind [misguided and rigid] “Guidelines and Policies”.

Peter Khin Tun in #56 in the list published by NHS.

Some unanswered questions

• Origin of COVID-19 (the disease caused by Coronavirus) and how it spread
  From the wet market?
  From eating exotic animals / food?
  From a lab? (some say the virus is not man-made; some speculate that the virus could have “escaped” leading to conspiracy theories)
  Blame game (by countries and organizations)
  
• Why the early reports downplayed the damaging power of COVID-19
  Some early reports did not mention that the virus can be transmitted by humans (Later reports show how a single infected person can unknowingly spread the virus to masses attending gatherings, taking cruises)
  Some said that washing hands is “good enough” (The hand is only one source of infection.)
  Initial reports say the virus attacks the respiratory system.
  Later reports report damage of organs (kidney, brain, …) and the nervous system.
  
• Why several countries reacted slowly to the Pandemic
  Some pointed the fingers to WHO (for declaring the Pandemic late)
  Some dismissed the virus as a “Myth” or a “Kind of flu that will go away easily”.
  
• Why front line health workers in some countries were not provided with PPE
  Some said the policies were guided not by science, but by the availability of resources (Some guidelines were relaxed too much).
  Some said that it was to save cost (not realizing that the medical equipment may not be easy to purchase or order during a Pandemic).
  
• The impact on economy
  The Bull market has disappeared
  Millions got laid off
  
• The impact of social behavior
  Some people cannot even visit their close relatives
  On-line teaching / learning (need reasonably good Internet connection and devices)
  Tele-conferencing (to see loved ones for the last time’ cannot attend funeral services)
  
• The safe distance
  Most guidelines say 6 feet, but some experiments show that the virus can travel farther (some up to 20 feet)
  
• Why asymptomatic cases were ignored in the initial reports
  To have good statistical reports
  Many that were infected did not display symptoms (upgraded to six in later reports) but they contributed to the spread of virus
  They could “carry” / “spread” COVID-19 (and not easy to “trace” the 0-person / originator of hot spots)
  
• Why COVID-19 has different impact on
  Men (60% of cases in UK)
  Asian and Blacks (were hit more in UK)
  Age groups (80 year olds are the hardest hit; Nursing home fatalities are high)
  Countries (some “poor” nations fare better than “rich” nations)
  Many factors (e.g. genetic make up, health condition, blood type) are being studied, but no conclusive results yet.
  
• Most new medicine /cure take 5 – 10 years of development, testing and approval
  Can a “truly safe” vaccine or a cure be found / developed in a few months?
  
• Why many “miraculous cures” were promoted by people who have no medical knowledge
  Ingesting disinfectants
  
• Why some do not seem to have compassion
  A few politicians say that “economy and liberty” are much more important than the loss of lives (particularly the “seniors”)