Masks on: The changing face of COVID-19
The novel coronavirus pandemic is uncharted territory for nations across the world. From the initial assumption by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the virus cannot be transmitted between humans, to the erroneous belief by Africans that it would not thrive on the continent, it is obvious that there is still more to unravel about COVID-19.
The Centre for Disease Control of the United States of America is learning so and has now recommended the use of face coverings in public reversing on its previous advice to only use a facemask when caring for an infected person.
The US CDC study found that a significant number of individuals that show no coronavirus symptoms can increase the spread of the virus.
‘’We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (‘’asymptomatic’’) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms(‘’pre-symptomatic’’) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms’’ – a statement by the CDC said.
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In light of this new evidence, CDC recommended wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
“Face coverings should not be surgical masks or N 95 respirators,” the CDC said, stating that those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders.
Bandannas, T-shirts and other cloth-based coverings are recommended alternatives to surgical masks and N-95 that are presently in short supply to medical professionals on the frontlines of coronavirus that has already infected around 428,901 people.
But with every recommendation, there is excepted opposition although this time from US president Donald Trump, who has openly said, that even though his administration is recommending the use of face coverings in public he does not intend to wear one himself.
“The CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth face covering as an additional voluntary public health measure,” the US president told reporters on Friday. “This is voluntary. I don’t think I’m going to be doing it’’.
Despite Trump’s decision, first lady Melania Trump tweeted Friday; “As the weekend approaches, I ask that everyone take social distancing & wearing a mask/face covering seriously.”
The Queen’s speech
Britain’s Matriarch Queen Elizabeth on Sunday made a rare speech – perhaps the fourth speech in her entire 68-year reign – responding to current events.
Her first speech in response to a current event was about the Gulf War. The second, after the death of Princess Diana. And third, after the passing of the Queen Mother.
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At the time of her speech, now the second most-watched broadcast in 10 years after 24million people tuned in, Britain had over 47,000 cases of the virus, and there was concern that the government may put would place stricter measures given the failure of parts of the nation to adhere to social distancing rules.
Sacrifice and Endurance
The Queen’s first message was on sacrifice and endurance which directly plays upon the legacy of her own experience, and thus Britain as a whole, during World War II. The country has faced turmoil before and shown the perseverance to get through it.
Unity
The Queen highlighted that this is a global struggle against the virus, and therefore, as one human race, we all must work together in the pursuit of common goals and values.
‘This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal,” she said. “We will succeed – and that success will belong to every one of us.”
No blame game
In the rare televised speech, the Queen offered comfort, gratitude to her nation’s health workers, a belief that life will go back to normal, without resorting to the blame game that has so far characterized the spread of the virus globally.
“It is, therefore, inherently wrong to use the outbreak as a political blame game to subsequently attack, deride and score points against certain countries for political gain. We are better than that, and we must rise to the challenge,” she said.
Hope for the future
Comparing the ‘challenging’ pandemic to the Second World War, the monarch, 93, said she hoped that everyone would be able to ‘take pride’ in their present actions in the ‘years to come’. She continued: ‘Those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country. The pride in who we are is not a part of our past, it defines our present and our future.
Final Line
The final line of her speech, “We’ll Meet Again,” according to newsweek.com is from a 1939 song by Vera Lynn that came to define the way the war wrenched families apart with no guarantee of survival.
