“The COVID-19 pandemic is the people’s examination”
― Moaath Alhmamdeh
What is coronavirus?
Coronavirus (COVID 19) is an infectious disease caused by the newly discovered coronavirus. The new strain of coronavirus is called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus causes coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). It is one of the viruses from the coronavirus family that ranges from the normal common cold to MERS (Middle East Corona Virus) and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). They are transferred through the spillover effect, i.e. They are already circulating in animals and some of them have the capability of transmitting between animals and humans.
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What is the origin of coronavirus?
Many health experts believe that the new strain of coronavirus likely originated in bats or pangolins. It was in Wuhan, China that the first transmission took place. Since then, the virus has mostly spread through person-to-person contact.
What are the symptoms of coronavirus
How does it spread?
SARS-CoV-2 spreads from person to person through close communities.
- When people with COVID-19 breathe out or cough, they expel tiny droplets that contain the virus. These droplets can enter the mouth or nose of someone without the virus, causing an infection to occur.
- The most common way that this illness spreads is through close contact with someone who has the infection. Close contact is within around 6 feet.
- The disease is most contagious when a person’s symptoms are at their peak. However, it is possible for someone without symptoms to spread the virus. A new study suggests that 10% of infections are from people exhibiting no symptoms.
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What South Korea is doing differently?
South Korea is getting praises for its management of the outbreak and spread of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. The positive accolades are mainly because of:
- South Korea’s enormous virus testing programme.
- Apart from this, the country’s heavy use of surveillance technology, notably CCTV
- the tracking of bank card and mobile phone usage, to identify who to test in the first place is also commendable.
What has been monumental in containing the outbreak is that The country learnt from the 2015 outbreak of MERS and reorganised its disease control system.
- Post this it built a good, large-capacity healthcare system
- And a sophisticated biotech industry that can produce test kits quickly.
Owing to these factors the country was able to carry out 15,000 tests per day. COVID-19 is a mild disease for most people, only a small fraction of patients contacts the health authorities for testing and that too based on their symptoms or the likelihood of known contact with infected people. This is where the problem arises as many patients with mild symptoms, especially younger ones, don’t realise they are ill and infecting others.
If these patients aren’t found, testing capacity doesn’t mean much. This is where smart city infrastructure comes in. The aim is to work out where known patients have been and test anyone who might have come into contact with them. There are three main ways people are tracked.
First, credit and debit cards. South Korea has the highest proportion of cashless 
transactions in the world. By tracking transactions, it’s possible to draw a card user’s movements on the map.
Second, mobile phones can be used for the same purpose. Phone locations are 
automatically recorded with complete accuracy because devices are connected to between one and three transceivers at any time
Finally, CCTV cameras also enable authorities to identify people who have been in contact with COVID-19 patients.
Using these techniques South Korea set a rightful exam and led its way in the fight against corona.
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