Seite - 517 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19
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517“Flattening
the Curve” Through COVID-19 Contagion Containment
its borders. These terms are often used differently in various contexts,
even changing over time.
But most others have been slow, often lacking resolve, perhaps
hoping that the virus would bypass them or that “herd immunity”
would protect most of the populations exposed to the virus. A few
headstrong, but very influential government leaders simply refused
to acknowledge the severity of the COVID-19 threat, subsequently
distracting many with conspiracy theories instead of quickly learning
from and correcting the policy errors that had been made.
Thus, new infections and deaths quickly rose exponentially as the
virus rapidly spread to other countries, especially to advanced coun-
tries in the West, better connected by passenger air travel. As devel-
oping countries struggled with the lack of vitally needed resources,
many developed countries have been jingoistic by restricting exports
of vital medical supplies, in contravention of the International Health
Regulations (IHR) and WHO recommendations.
Understanding the COVID-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic is now widely considered more threatening
than other viral epidemics in recent decades, since the Asian flu of the
late 1950s and the Hong Kong flu of 1968. Although the fatality rate of
those infected may be lower than for SARS (severe acute respiratory
syndrome) in 2002–2003,6 and COVID-19 may not be more infectious
than the H1N1 virus, its particular combination of transmissibility and
mortality risks has generated unprecedented fear and apprehension.
SARS, by contrast, was more deadly, going deeper into the lungs, but
less infectious than COVID-19, despite having similar symptoms.
The virus is considered especially dangerous as infection, via
mucous in the mouth, nose, and eyes, starts in the upper respiratory
tract (throat, upper airways). Those infected are also infectious very
soon after being infected, when they are still asymptomatic. They may
still remain without symptoms or only have mild symptoms when
6. According to the WHO, a total of 8,098 people in 26 countries had SARS; 774
died between November 2002 and July 2003, i.e., a death rate of 9.6%, whereas
the COVID-19 death rate was 3.6% when it was declared a pandemic. Matt
Woodley, “How Does Coronavirus Compare with Previous Global Outbreaks?”
(19 February 2020), online: The
Royal
Australian
College
of
General
Practitioners <https://
www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/how-does-coronavirus-compare-with-
previous-global>.
VULNERABLE
The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19
- Titel
- VULNERABLE
- Untertitel
- The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19
- Autoren
- Vanessa MacDonnell
- Jane Philpott
- Sophie Thériault
- Sridhar Venkatapuram
- Verlag
- Ottawa Press
- Datum
- 2020
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- ISBN
- 9780776636429
- Abmessungen
- 15.2 x 22.8 cm
- Seiten
- 648
- Kategorien
- Coronavirus
- International