Social Unrest To Manifest In The Months Ahead As Covid-19 Situation Drastically Escalates

The Global number of Covid-19 infected cases as of Monday morning is currently at 336 838 with 14,616 deaths. The figures are escalating faster than what we had even predicted and a major spikes is expected around the 15^th of April based on our assumptions that there are now millions of asymptomatic spreaders out there with various new strains of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. We are going to see a variety of clinical manifestations unlike what was seen in the beginning in Wuhan. China itself is experiencing fresh new outbreaks but are not reporting it and the fact that the clinical manifestations of these new outbreaks are significantly different provides them with a leverage to conceal cases.


 
As cases rise and situations deteriorate, social unrest and also political changes might be witnessed in many countries in the coming months.
 
In the US alone, where they have a President who only weeks ago was only making comments that the coronavirus was just merely a common cold and whose teams at the CDC had made so many blunders in terms of preparedness, is now seeing like 33,276 confirmed cases and 417 deaths while test kits are still in short supply in many states. In the US, there are at least 6 different strains of the virus circulating around with two presumed to be new aggressive strains. In in expected that by the 15^th of April, the number of infected cases in the US should reach about 2 million provided there are enough test kits and testing done and figures are revealed. In terms of deaths, considering the two new strains involved that use a triple approach of binding to human host cells ie ACE-2 receptors, the Furin Cleavage and the CD147 receptors, it is expected that deaths in the US alone should reach at 5,000 by the then if not more. The US will turn out to be far worst hit than Europe.
 
From Europe to Asia to the United States, governments rolled out tougher measures to halt the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic as global cases rise and Asia braced for a possible second wave of infections.
 
More than two billion people are already confined to their homes around the world as countries race to contain the ballooning outbreak by imposing unprecedented lockdown measures, shutting shops and businesses and sealing borders.
 
The Covid-19 crisis has sparked fears of a global recession, prompting governments to unleash gigantic emergency measures to avoid an economic meltdown.
 
More than 14,600 people have died from the virus worldwide, with the situation increasingly bleak in Italy, the new epicentre of the disease which first emerged in Wuhan China in December 2019 before being spread across the globe.
 
Countries in Asia now worry infections could once again mount on their lands as travellers return from badly-hit parts of Europe, a continent under siege by the pandemic, with more than 150,000 declared cases.
 
Even worrying is that it is reported that there is a new surge of cases in China which is being covered up by the Chinese government.
 
The Mediterranean nation of Italy has now reported more deaths than mainland China and third-placed Iran combined, and it has a death rate of 8.6 percent among confirmed COVID-19 infections, significantly higher than in most other countries.
 
Italy’ death toll in the country of 60 million has spi ked to more than 5,480, over a third of the global total.
 
Stringent lockdown measures have done little to stem new infections and deaths and the government announced the closure of all non-essential factories in a late-night TV address. Authorities and police patrolled the deserted streets of Rome Sunday, while checks were also carried out on beaches after local officials complained people were defying orders to catch some time in the sun.

The Pope, in his weekly prayer, now being streamed live to avoid crowds gathering, has  urged all Italians to follow isolation measures.
 
Almost similar shut-in measures have been rolled out in badly-hit Spain and France, where helicopters and drones were being deployed to ensure crowds do not gather in parks or along river banks.
 
France saw its death toll mount to 674 on Sunday while  Spain saw a sharp spike in deaths again Sunday, a 30 percent rise bringing total fatalities to 1,720.
 
UK is also ramping up its response in the wake of steadily rising cases and deaths after the government was criticised for failing to take stricter measures sooner.
 
PM Boris Johnson on Sunday urged 1.5 million people most at risk from the virus to stay home, as he warned the numbers of infections and deaths "are very stark, and they are accelerating".
 
Clubs, pubs, restaurants, theatres and leisure centres had already been closed across the country, and the government said it could give police, public health and immigration officers extra powers to contain the outbreak.
 
Thai authorities reported its highest daily rise in cases, taking its total to nearly 600, while Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia have also reported a spike in cases after numbers had plateaued earlier.
 
Almost a billion people in India were confined to their homes Sunday as the country went into lockdown with a one-day nationwide "self-imposed curfew".
 
Bustling streets in various cities in India mostly deserted and most shops shuttered.
 
Even tighter restrictions are now in place elsewhere in Asia, with Australia shutting its borders to foreigners and non-residents and Pakistan suspending international flights.
 
40 percent of Americans were meanwhile adjusting to life in various phases of lockdown, including in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Other parts of the United States are expected to ramp up restrictions as well.
 
New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo has warned that the disruption is likely to last for months, not weeks.
 
The US FDA also approved the first coronavirus test that can be conducted entirely at the point of care for a patient and deliver results in 45 minutes.
 
The global pandemic has bludgeoned global stock markets, and the United States the world's biggest economy is preparing a huge emergency stimulus package that could top $1 trillion. Many European countries have already announced their own stimulus packages to stave off economic collapse.
 
The SARS-Cov-2 has infected more than 1,100 across Africa too, where healthcare systems are limited and social distancing measures are difficult in crowded cities.
 
In the Middle East, the situation also remains on high alert, where Iran has suffered a major outbreak and to date more than 1695 reported deaths. But the Islamic Republic has refused to join the rest of the world in imposing heavy restrictions.
 
The country of El Salvador joined several central and South American countries in imposing quarantine measures on Saturday, as Colombia announced its first coronavirus death.
 
Although the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions are the hardest hit by the virus, the WHO has warned that young people are also vulnerable.
 
Real Accurate COVID-19 figures are difficult to reach because many of the victims suffered from other illnesses, and infection rates are uncertain because of a lack of testing in many countries.
 
People and governments and even medical experts out there are in denial of the presence of various strains of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and that it has different modes of binding to human cells and also manifesting different clinical conditions. Vaccines and drugs and even diagnostics are all being hampered by these new emerging strains and despite mentioning it so that more researchers will pay attention to it, we at Thailand Medical News are being forced by entities to maintain our silence on this issues. We hope that more than medical experts and researchers will please make these data more public for more to know about the actual situations.
 
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