COVID-19

　　

    　The novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is a pandemic spreading around the world. As it originated from Wuhan, China, some people call it the Wuhan virus or even China virus, which the Chinese government considers racist. The government stops its people from using it. The country affected most by the virus is the United States, which has reported the largest number of infection cases in the world, followed by other countries, especially those in Europe, where a lot of people have contracted the virus. The high infection rates are attributed to the people’s aversion to wearing face masks. When cases began to break out, they did not regard prevention as an important means to stop the spread of the virus. Even their governments under-estimated the severity of the virus. Not until they were confronted with the cruel reality of thousands of deaths and many more infection cases did they finally realize the importance of taking emergency measures to contain the virus. Their late awakening came at a huge cost to the people’s lives, the people’s livelihood, and the economy.

　　　COVID-19 has caused a lot of pain and suffering at the personal level. For instance, some patients lose their sense of smell and taste, which is a common symptom of the virus. Other patients might be in a miserable state if their lungs are permanently damaged and do not function properly. COVID-19 is super-infectious as it can spread by what is called “asymptomatic infection”. This means that some infected people do not show any symptoms at all and they infect others unknowingly. Thanks to the Taiwanese government’s early prevention and rapid response, the Taiwanese can still lead a normal life as students continue going to school and businesses continue to run. I do hope that with the invention of vaccines in December 2020, the COVID-19 crisis will soon vanish so that everybody can return to a normal life.