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Why has South Korea succeeded in it’s fight against COVID-19?

“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.

Read about suits that are used by doctors to prevent infection

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

Coronavirus symptoms

How does it spread?

SARS-CoV-2 spreads from person to person through close communities.

Learn How to treat coronavirus patients at Home

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:

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.

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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