Category: Coronavirus

On the 31st of December 2019 in Wuhan city Hubei province of china there were multiple cases of patients presenting pneumonia due to an unknown virus. Chinese authorities had then confirmed they had identified the virus by utilising next-generation sequencing. The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is the name that had been given to the viral pathogen. Currently there are cases of infection that have been confirmed throughout the globe.

Coronaviridae is a family of enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses. the coronavirus belongs to this family as well as the mild common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

Several patients that had been diagnosed with the viral pneumonia had been linked to the large seafood and live animal market( commonly referred to as “wet markets”) in Wuhan, China where many animals were on sale before the outbreak which suggested that the initial spread was from animal to person. Coronaviruses are zoonotic meaning they can transmit infectious diseases between animals and humans. Coronaviruses have been identified in many animal species including mammals and avian hosts. It is speculated that the intermediate hosts (wild animals) may have been sold to the seafood market in Wuhan. It can spread between humans and requires no direct physical contact with an infected animal.

Analysis of the viral genome would provide a massive insight into the origins of the outbreak and furthermore a possibility of procuring a vaccine. Unfortunately, it is unclear the identity of what animal species facilitated the transmission of coronavirus from animal to human according to genetic analysis. A team from the Wuhan Institute of virology determined that the genome of this corona virus and that of a bat is 96% identical which therefore suggests that species is where the source originated.

According to a study (https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.30.926477). It is unclear if the viruses began to mutate before or after infecting human beings however there is evidence that suggests that there are two viral strains that have evolved, one that affected humans and one that affected host animals which mutated and became more adaptive to humans and then infected humans.

Wuhan Institute team found that it enters human cells using the same pathway that SARS did. It’s called angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the pathway is a receptor to which a “spike protein” on the virus’s surface first attaches and then allows the virus to fuse with the host cell despite the presence of amino acid mutations in the 2019-nCoV receptor-binding domain.

By studying the genetic sequence of the virus, we can determine how it replicates and many other characteristics that make it unique and by doing so allow us to design antiviral solutions to combat the pathogen. It is possible that current antiviral treatments for other viruses may be able to treat coronavirus but there is no surety.

Researchers at Moderna Therapeutics, Cambridge, Mass who are working in coordination with the US National Institutes of Health, have developed a potential shortcut to decrease the time it takes to create vaccines against ongoing outbreaks such as coronavirus. They are essentially prepping the human body to recognize disease-causing microbes and to activate the human immune system. Researchers at Moderna initiated this process by packing their vaccine with mRNA, Moderna’s idea is to load its coronavirus vaccine with mRNA that codes for the right coronavirus proteins and then inject that into the body. The immune cells can then start manufacturing the right protein for other immune cells to recognize and therefore commence a response against the infection.

The initial step of the development of this vaccine is determining which proteins made by the 2019-nCoV virus should be included in the vaccine. Chinese scientists had publicly posted the genome sequence and Moderna scientists chose specific proteins and thereafter began writing the genetic ‘software’ for their vaccine — in the form of the mRNA specifications that the human body’s cells would need to construct the coronavirus protein.

The developmental process is ongoing, and the team will have to ensure that the final mRNA is reliable and stable then only can it be used in the manufacturing of vaccines which will undergo several clinical trails before being readily available

Recently, the issue regarding Novel Coronavirus has been a trending topic all over the world due to the fear it brought to every person all around the globe. The virus originated in Wuhan, China, and eventually, it spread to nearby countries such as Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and as far as the United States and United Kingdom. The virus is known to be a transmissible virus that causes severe respiratory infection. Despite the fear it brought to various countries, Philippines remain to be unmoved, yet the country is vigilant and does not lower their guards down when it comes to Novel Coronavirus. As a matter of fact, the Department of Tourism (DOT) claimed that even though there is a present scare over Novel Coronavirus, or also known as nCoV, Philippines is still a safe country to visit for travel and tourism purposes.

In a press conference held in the city of Makati, Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat justified their statement by saying that the safety of everyone, whether tourists or anyone in the tourism industry will always be secured and will always be their top priority. She added that they will never invite tourists tocome if there will be an incident that will ruin the image of the Philippines. Additionally, she also said that everything is handled carefully and safety is sure so there is nothing to worry about for the authorities of the country are in control of the situation. They also reported precautionary measures such as the containment and stopping of flights in Boracay. It is also lately reported that the suspension of flights between Wuhan and Philippines has been ordered by Civil Aeronautics Board for the purpose of preventing the spread of the disease. Nevertheless, she clarified that she wanted every tourists to be safe from any harm, including viruses and calamities. Despite of their claims and justifications regarding their prioritization of everyone’s safety, especially the tourists, a question was asked on how would the virus impact the arrivals of tourists given the fact that China is Manila’s second top market. Romulo-Puyat responded that it will be too premature to answer the question, but again, she asserted that safety will always be their primary priority.

Even though they are claiming that it is safe to travel in the Philippines, it is still questionable and debatable whether it is factually safe to come to the Philippines. First of all, they could not strongly claim the safety of the tourists whether or not there will be a case of Novel Coronavirus inside the country, for the country is not capable of confirming and detecting the virus because there are no facilities to do so. In fact, as reported by Magsino (2020) of GMA News, theDepartment of Health is just recently setting up labs for confirmatory tests, and confirmatory tests are done in an Australian laboratory. These are strong supporting statements that the country is not that capable and prepared to face Novel Coronavirus for it is just starting their steps in setting up their guards against the virus, which also adds to the doubt if the country is really safe to visit for tourism purposes.

Additionally, the first case of Novel Coronavirus in the Philippines was recently reported and confirmed last January 30, 2020, on the other hand, the statements of Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat were given January 24, 2020. Now, it is possible that during the press- conference, they were unaware that the virus was spreading, for Novel Coronavirus can be infectious even before people show symptoms. As reported by Naftulin (2020), Ma Xiaowei, China’s National Health Commission Minister, stated that someone with the virus could not exhibit any kinds of symptoms anytime between a day and 14 days, but he/she is considered infectious and may spread the virus to other people. At this point, it is therefore questionable if the statements of Romulo-Puyat were leaned on facts or the need to increase the figures regarding the country’s tourism industry. It is unsure if they are aware of the facts before they made and concluded any statement, which further decreases the reliability of their affirmations.

For those reasons, their claims and presented justifications does not adequately and fully support their assertions, for it seems that it is leaned on their interest to maintain the image and tourism industry of the country, and not really on the facts considering the safety of everyone, especially the tourists. They did not base their statements on truthful information, and examining their claims leads to the judgment that they have made illogical reasoning and unconvincing answers.

Therefore, it is disagreeable to concur to their pronouncement for their reasoning are illogical and insufficient. However, their statement regarding the steps they are taking to contain the virus can be hard to argue with, for it is legitimate. Their claims about the taking charge of the authorities are fully supported by their own legitimate reports of actions in dealing with the national issue. However, they fail to recognize the need of the public, especially the tourists to know the exact truth regarding the Novel Coronavirus when they jumped into the conclusion that the Philippines is safe for tourists to visit, which is a clear fallacious statement. For these reasons, it is therefore concluded and strongly justified that the assertion made by Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, ensuring the safety of the tourists from the Novel Coronavirus inside the Philippines, is illogically claimed for they fail to recognize and address the existing truth regarding the virus. Hence, hiding the truth from the public for the purpose of securing the industry of the country’s tourism.

References

1. Naftulin, J. (2020, January 26). Wuhan Coronavirus Can Be Infectious Before People Show Symptoms, Official Claims. Retrieved February 6, 2020, from https://www.sciencealert.com/wuhan-coronavirus-can-be-infectious-before-people-show-symptoms-official-claims
2. Magsino, D. (2020, January 29). Philippines to set up own lab for nCoV confirmatory tests.
3. GMA New Online. Retrieved from
4. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/724023/philippines-to-set-up-own-lab-
5. for-ncov-confirmatory-tests/story/
6.  Rocamora, J. A. L. (2020, January 24). Retrieved February 6, 2020, from
7. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091843?fbclid=IwAR1mK3rhTk90NOtZ1
8. https://www.sciencealert.com/wuhan-coronavirus-can-be-infectious-before-people-show-symptoms-official-claims
9. https://www.sciencealert.com/wuhan-coronavirus-can-be-infectious-before-people-show-symptoms-official-claims
10. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/724023/philippines-to-set-up-own-lab-for-ncov-confirmatory-tests/story/
11. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/724023/philippines-to-set-up-own-lab-for-ncov-confirmatory-tests/story/
12. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091843?fbclid=IwAR1mK3rhTk90NOtZ1

Introduction

According to World Health Organization (WHO), Covid-19 which is also known as Coronavirus disease 2019 is an infectious disease which is caused by a novel coronavirus, named “SARS-CoV-2”. This disease was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019, and has spread globally resulting in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. According to the latest date, up to 3 May 2020, there were 3356205 confirmed cases and 238730 confirmed deaths reported and there were 215 countries, areas or territories affected by this disease.

The mode of transmission of corona virus is mainly through human-to-human transmission by close contact. It occurs via the spraying of small droplets produced by sneezing or coughing of an infected individual. When the droplets are inhaled by the people in close contact, the people might get infected. Since the droplets produced are relatively heavy, they can usually fall to the floor or any surfaces. The droplets still can cause infection to the people after they fall the floors or surfaces. If the people touch the contaminated surfaces, and touch their mouth, eyes or nose by their unwashed hands, they can get infection. 1

For the most of infected people, they will develop mild to moderate illness and recover without hospitalization. The most common symptoms are fever, dry cough and tiredness. The infected people may also develop serious symptoms such as chest pain or pressure, difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath and loss of speech or movement. When someone is infected with coronavirus, it takes 5 to 6 days on average for the symptoms to show, but it also can take up to 14 days.

At this time, there is no treatment or vaccines for COVID-19. Therefore, the preventive measures should be taken to reduce the risk of getting infection. First, hands washing is very important and it is advised to wash your hands to with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or wash your hand by alcohol-based hand rub. Besides, touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hand should be avoided. Social distancing should be practiced to reduce contact of the infected people and at least 1 metre distance should be maintained between the people. In short, these preventive measures have to be taken and followed in order to prevent infection and to slow the transmission of COVID-19.2

Evade immune response mechanism of COVID-19 strain

Brief Introduction of Corona Viruses

Coronaviruses are the viruses which cause illnesses associated with the respiratory tract and are positively stranded RNA viruses. The coronavirinae are subdivided into alpha, beta and gamma subfamilies. The viral RNA contains a 5’ cap and 3’ polyA tail which allows it to act as a messenger RNA for expression of its replication machinery proteins so it can replicate rapidly upon the entry into the host cell. The virus has a cylindrical structure with four specified proteins such as membrane (M) protein, Spike (S) protein, Envelope (E) protein and Nucleocapsid (N) protein which are encoded by minor sections of the genome. For the beta subfamily, it has extra structural protein, Hemagglutinin esterase protein which is thought to enhance the activity of spike protein and interact with sialic acids on glycoproteins present on the surface of host cells to facilitate viral entry.3

Coronavirus entry and replication

For the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV2, it involves the viral entry in the respiratory droplets into the lungs by passing through the mucous membrane, especially nasal and larynx mucosa. The major target of the virus is the alveolar cells which is important in the gaseous exchange during respiration. After the virus reach the lung, it causes viremia by spreading to peripheral blood. It has been reported that coronavirus S protein as a significant determinant entry into host cell. The envelope spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV2 binds to the cellular receptor, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE 2) while MERS-CoV to DPP4 and spike of SARS-CoV also binds to CD209L (a C-type lectin). Genetic and clinical data have been reported that there are strong similarities between SARS-CoV2 with two previous highly pathogenic human β-coronaviruses which are SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. SARS-CoV-2 shares approximately 50% and 79% sequence identity with MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, respectively, thereby they have similar cell entry mechanisms. 4

It was initially identified that the entry of SARS-CoV into cells was accomplished by direct membrane fusion between the virus and plasma membrane. The membrane fusion and viral infectivity were then further identified that they were mediated by a critical proteolytic cleavage event occurred at SARS-CoV S protein at position (S2′). For the membrane fusion of MERS-CoV ,it has evolved an abnormal two-step furin activation. Besides membrane fusion, the entry of SARS-CoV is also mediated by the clathrin-dependent and -independent endocytosis. The viral RNA genome is released into the cytoplasm and is translated into two polyproteins and structural proteins after the virus enters the cell. Then, the viral genome begins to replicate. The envelope glycoproteins that are newly formed are then are inserted into the endoplasmic reticulum membrane or Golgi and the combination of genomic RNA and nucleocapsid protein forms nucleocapsid. Then, viral particles germinate into the endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC). Eventually, the vesicles which containing the virus particles are then fuse with the plasma membrane to release the virus.5

Host immune system

The immune system plays a key role in controlling, resolution and immunopathogenesis of CoV infection. To mount an immune response, the immune cells need to recognize the invading virus by pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and the pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). For the coronavirus which is RNA virus, it is known that PAMPs are recognized by Toll-like receptor (TLR) 3, TLR 7, TLR8, TLR 9 and the cytosolic RNA sensor, retinoic-acid inducible gene I (RIG-I)/ melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5). This event of recognition triggers downstream cascade molecules, nuclear factor-κB and interferon regulatory factor 3, and the transcription factor activates the production of type I Interferons and a series of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, virus-cell interactions produce first-line defense against the invading virus at the entry site.6

Innate immunity

In the innate immunity, immune system is activated and regulated in order to eliminate the virus, otherwise it will result in immunopathology. Among the COVID-19 infected individuals, it was observed that there was a higher level of cytokines like FN-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, IL-18, IL-33, TNF-α, TGFβ and chemokines such as CCL2, CCL3, CCL5, CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL1 which were produced by immune effector cells. It was reported that Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which is the common immunopathological event for SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV infections, is the main death cause of COVID-19. The main mechanism of ARDS is cytokine storm. It is due to the inflammatory response caused by COVID-19 in the lower airway which led to lung injury to produce cytokine storm which results from early high rise in the serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine. The cytokine storm will cause ARDS and multiple organ failure and finally lead to death in severe cases of SARS-CoV2 by triggering a violent attack by the immune system to the body, just like what occurs in SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV infection. An effective innate immune response involves the action of interferon responses and its downstream cascade that culminates in controlling viral replication and induction of effective adaptive immune response sharing the same attachment receptor with SARS-CoV. The recognition site is present in subset of lung cells called type 2 alveolar cells.5

Adaptive immune response

In general, the Th1 type immune response plays a crucial role in an adaptive immunity to viral infections. Antigen presenting cells which generate cytokine dictate the direction of T cell responses. Cytotoxic T cells responsible in killing viral infected cells whereas helper T cells essential in overall adaptive response. Humoral immune response which produce neutralizing antibody essential in limiting the infection at later phase and prevents reinfection in the future by developing memory B cells. For both types of coronavirus infections, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, delayed and weak antibody response are associated with severe outcome. There was a limited serology details of SARS-CoV-2 reported. In a previous study, a patient showed peak specific IgM at day 9 after disease onset and the switching to IgG by week. In addition, some cross-reactivity with SARS-CoV was shown in the sera from 5 patients of confirmed COVID-19. Besides, COVID-19 was observed to neutralize the antibodies in an in vitro plaque assay, suggesting a possible successful mounting of the humoral responses. There was another study reported that CD4+ T cell responses were less frequently observed than CD8+ T cell response. Generally, the virus specific T cells were the central memory phenotypes with a significantly higher frequency of polyfunctional CD4+ T cells (IFNγ, TNFα, and IL-2) and CD8+ T cells (IFNγ and TNFα). Having considered few controversial issues, strong T cell response was correlated significantly with higher neutralizing antibody while more serum TH2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-10). Recently, these current evidences strongly indicated that Th1 type response may successfully control SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV and probably true for SARS-CoV-2 as well. 6

Potential Immune Evasion Mechanism

Based on the current observation, this indicates that coronaviruses are particularly adapted to evade immune detection and dampen human immune responses. Hence, this is part of the reason that why they tend to have a longer incubation period which is 2 to 11 days than other viral infections. Due to their immune evasion, they have a longer incubation period so the viral antigen can escape host immune detection efficiently at the early stage of infection. The immune evasion mechanism is potentially like SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. In short, most of the mechanisms inhibit innate immune responses, especially type I interferon recognition and signaling. The key molecules which involve in host immune modulation are the viral proteins including membrane (M) or non-structural (NS) proteins (eg. NS4a, NS4b, NS15). Furthermore, for the adaptive immune response, the down regulation of antigen presentation via MHC class I and MHC class II results in evasion mechanism. T cells activation will be diminished whenever macrophages or dendritic cells get infected with MERS-CoV.

In summary, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV2 shared a potential immune evasion mechanism. In this mechanism, coronaviruses first interfere with multiple steps during initial innate immune response. This includes sensing of RNA, type I IFN production signaling pathway, STAT1/2 activation downstream of IFN/IFNAR. This dampening or delayed type I IFN responses influence the activation of adaptive immune system. Prolonged viral persistence exacerbates inflammatory responses that may lead to immune exhaustion and immune suppression as a feedback regulatory mechanism. Biased Th2 type response also favors poor outcome of the disease.

Suggestion for treatment

Currently, there is no clinically proven effective vaccine or antiviral therapeutic agent to treat COVID-19. Although there is no specific therapy now, there is some research on the molecular mechanisms of coronavirus infection and genomic organization of SARS-CoV-2 reported that there are several potential therapeutic targets to repurpose the existing antiviral agents or develop effective interventions against this novel coronavirus.

It was reported that there are some prophylactic drugs including anti-bacterial, antiviral or anti-malaria drugs can be used before or shortly after the infection as prophylaxis and to reduce viral shielding in the respiratory secretions so that the infectiousness can be reduced. The first drug is Azithromycin which is an antibacterial drug and it acts by suppressing inflammatory responses and reduce the excessive cytokine production (cytokine storm) associated with respiratory viral infections. This is used because cytokine storm is one of the reasons to cause death in some severe cases of COVID-19.An anti-malaria drug, Chloroquine can also be used by inhibiting viral enzymes or processes such as viral DNA and RNA polymerase, viral protein glycosylation, virus assembly, new virus particle transport, and virus release. It also responsible in the inhibition of ACE2 cellular receptor, inhibition of the fusion of virus by acidification at the surface of the cell membrane and immunomodulation of cytokine release.6

On the first week of May 2020, there were findings of experimental antiviral drug, Remdesivir released by US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. From the findings, it showed that there was an improved recovering rate and survival rate when taking the drug compared with those given a placebo and standard care but there are just the preliminary studies and further trials are still ongoing. Remdesivir is potential antiviral drug to treat patients with COVID-19 and it is adenosine analogue which is similar to DNA that is used to carry the genetic information of viruses. Once the drug is activated in the body, it works by blocking polymerase which is used to make DNA and RNA. By blocking polymerase, the virus cannot make copies of itself, thereby limiting the development of symptoms and spread of disease. However, it is not perfectly safe as it may cause some side effects such as liver damage, nausea or vomiting so these side effects have to be considered when treating COVID-19 patients who have other underlying condition.8

Furthermore, antibody and serum therapy could also be an alternative therapy of COVID-19. The spike protein present on viral membrane is responsible for the entry of virus and is the principal antigenic component to induce immune response. Therefore, the use of monoclonal antibodies with serum therapy and preparations of immunoglobin are recommended as passive immunizations. To achieve this, peptide fusion inhibitors, anti SARS-CoV2 neutralizing antibodies, anti-angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) and protease inhibitors can be used. Passive antibody therapy is considered to limit COVID-19 epidemics which can recognize epitope regions in the foreign virus particle and reduce the virus replication and disease severity.

Besides antibody and serum therapy, effective vaccines for SARS-CoV2 play a key role to reduce severity of disease, viral shedding and transmission, hence helping to control the outbreaks of coronavirus. However, the development of effective SARS-CoV2 vaccines are still in progress. Recently, there are several vaccination strategies against MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV tested in animals, including viral vector, live-attenuated virus, inactivated virus, protein vaccines, subunit vaccines and recombinant DNA. The selection of target antigen and vaccine platform are probably based on SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV vaccine studies. There is one antigen known as full-length spike that contains receptor binding domain (RDB) which might be considered as good antigen as it could neutralize the antibodies in order to prevent the attachment to host cell and infection. Another nucleic acid-based vaccine, mRNA vaccine has been considered as disruptive vaccine technology according to the current technology advancement. There is an improved stability and protein translation efficiency for the recent mRNA vaccine design, this it could induce robust immune responses.

In order to make SAR-CoV-2 vaccine possible, it is important to gather the information for vaccine development and evaluation should be well defined. This includes finding target antigen(s), immunization route, scalability, correlated-immune protection, animal models, production facility, target product profile (TPP), outbreak forecasting and target population. International collaboration as well as technology transfer between experts will also help SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development quickly move forward. Currently, there may be many promising targets for SARS-CoV-2, but more laboratory and clinical evidence still should be explored. The WHO is working with Chinese scientists to launch more than 80 clinical trials on potential treatments for SARS-CoV-2. Traditional Chinese medicine seems to have some effects in the supportive treatments. Some new pharmaceutical drugs, including HIV drugs and stem cells, were testified in those clinical trials.

By looking at the similarities and differences between the current SARS-CoV-2 and the previous outbreak of SARS and MERS, a striking similarity emerges with some unique features of its own. As the COVID-19 causes serious public health concerns across Asia and on the blink to affect world population, investigation into the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2, its interaction with the host immune responses may help provide a clearer picture of how the pathogen causes diseases in some individuals while most infected people only show mild or no symptoms at all. In addition, the study of the immune correlates of protection and the long-term immune memory from convalescent individuals may help in design prophylactic and therapeutic measures for future outbreak of similar coronaviruses.

As a parent, you can’t resist the urge to stress over the wellbeing of your youngsters. So it’s normal that as anecdotes about the novel coronavirus that began in China flood the news, guardians stress over whether their youngsters may be in peril .

We are as yet finding out about this new infection; there’s a lot of we don’t think yet about how it spreads, how genuine it are frequently , or the best approach to treat it. The way that such a ton is obscure might be a major a piece of what makes it startling. However, there are things we do know — about this infection and other comparable infections — which will assist us with keeping our adolescents protected and well.

The entirety of the exhortation beneath accept that you and your family have not as of late made a trip to a region where there are known instances of coronavirus, or had some other conceivable presentation. In the event that that is the situation, you should call your primary care physician promptly for guidance.

As of this composition, there are moderately scarcely any cases in the United States, and numerous measures are being taken to confine the spread of the infection. It’s imperative to remain educated and tune in to the counsel of general wellbeing authorities in your general vicinity — and not freeze if your youngster or another person in your family or network gets a hack and fever. It’s unquestionably bound to be a cold, or flu (influenza), than coronavirus.

Truth be told, flu contaminates numerous individuals per annum and slaughters thousands. Consistently, specialists and general wellbeing authorities notice ways you’ll shield you and your friends and family from getting this season’s flu virus. Those safeguards likewise can help guard you from coronavirus, in light of the fact that it appears that the 2 ailments spread in comparative manners.

Ensure everybody washes their hands! Utilizing cleanser and water and washing for 20 seconds (about as long on the grounds that it takes you to sing the letters in order tune) works. In the event that you don’t have a sink helpful, hand sanitizer will do — affirm you spread it well, getting it wherever the hands including between the fingers. Wash before dinners and bites, in the wake of being out in the open spots, and subsequent to being around any individual who is or may be wiped out.

Support solid propensities, such as eating a sound eating regimen, working out, and getting enough rest. This helps keep your kid’s resistant framework solid. Ensure your kid has gotten this season’s flu virus antibody. This season’s flu virus is unquestionably progressively normal — and can be perilous as well.

Show youngsters not to contact their mouths, eyes, or noses with their hands except if they have quite recently washed them. This is more difficult than one might expect, I concede. Make a game out of it — have them tingle with their knees. Convey tissues for cleaning mouths and noses, and toss out utilized tissues quickly.

Instruct youngsters to take care about the surfaces they contact once you are call at open. Little hands appear to intuitively go after everything around them, so you’ll found a good pace. Carry things for them to convey rather, or clasp hands with them. Have them wear gloves (in cool atmospheres inside the winter you’d almost certainly do this at any rate — have additional items so you’ll wash the well used ones once you return home). It is anything but a poorly conceived notion to convey a few wipes with you to wipe down seats, tables, and other such things in open zones before you use them.

Avoid wiped out individuals to the degree this is conceivable. Except if there is a particular general wellbeing warning in your general vicinity or a region you are venturing out to, this doesn’t mean squatting in your home, playing hooky or childcare, and declining each birthday celebration greeting. At last, it’s difficult to avoid any individual who has any germs that may be spread; as is valid for some infections, it might be that individuals with coronavirus are infectious before they understand that they’re wiped out. Simply know about side effects of individuals around you, for example, hacking or sniffling. Keep space between you et al. freely spaces (once more, to the degree conceivable).

In case you’re facilitating individuals at your home, you have the correct (duty, really) to request that individuals not come on the off chance that they’re wiped out. Keep hand sanitizer by the entryway of your home and request that visitors use it once they show up.

On the off chance that anybody in your family gets a fever and hack, they should remain at home. Odds are it’s not coronavirus, yet whatever it will be, it’s presumable infectious. Not exclusively is remaining at home and resting the most ideal approach to show signs of improvement, yet additionally you would prefer not to freeze others by having your kid hack in their kid’s face.

Not too long ago, an incident concerning a virus outbreak has been the talk in the social media and televisions. One with social consciousness would remember that on the last weeks of December and the first weeks of January, the virus started spreading out rapidly infecting 28, 000 in China alone, as stated by Yeung (2020) in an article published by CNN. According to World Health Organization, Coronavirus, also known as nCoV is a virus which can cause illness like cold or a much more alarming disease like SARS-CoV or MERS-CoV. It is believed to have been originated from Wuhan, China, which started from bats (Rettner, 2020). With more than 28,000 infected and over 560 people killed, this happening has caused a flask to the nation making the government in almost every country take cautions in case the virus will spread in their countries, including the Philippines. According to CNBC, President Rodrigo Duterte has barred those who are coming from Hubei Province, which is the epicenter of the virus, including the special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau. However, in line with the rapid rising of infected people all over the country and despite the number of deaths confirmed, the Philippine tourism remains unbothered over the fact that corona virus is spreading fast and this has both positive and negative implication to Filipino citizens.

The Philippines which is famous for its many beautiful places and culture are one of the things why tourism is high and a very important part of the economy. Tourism is also one of the biggest contributors to the economic growth and development of a country. But after the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus many people are worried about the possible decrease in tourism. Based from the recent statement of the Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat “the safety of our tourists is number one” simply says that tourists should not be afraid of going to the Philippines after the scare of 2019 novel coronavirus. But in reality, tourist arrivals in the Philippines are decreasing mostly from the second biggest tourists arriving in the country, the Chinese. It is because of the temporary travel ban on China, Hong Kong and Macau. It is issued by the president after the death of the first confirmed case of (nCoV) in the Philippines.

The arguments stated by the Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat are all consistent because of repeatedly saying that it is safe to travel in the Philippines which is somehow convincing. But because of the recent events like the increasing cases of coronavirus, tourism will probably decrease because of they will be afraid of getting infected by the virus. As stated by the Tourism secretary that “We are very careful, we stress on safety” was not true, because there would be no Chinese that is infected of (nCoV) that can pass their security measures specifically the first case if they really focused on our safety. Their strongest argument was when she said that it is safe to come to Philippines despite of the outbreak. She stated that “For me, I want the tourists to know that we want everybody who comes to the Philippines to be safe”.

The sudden spread of the coronavirus and the government implementing travel ban very late has both positive and negative implications to the Filipino citizens. And as each day passes by and as time continues more negative views arises from people who worries about their safety. Everyone is well aware that it can be spread through air and they are all worried, as there is still no cure available for the virus. The world health organization recently released an information about the mentioned virus that it is still possible to interrupt virus spread. Therefore, information should always be provided and given to people to know how to prevent Coronavirus. The WHO should continue to provide operational support and safety awareness to respond to this outbreak. Safety is and should always be prioritized at all times, what President Rodrigo Duterte did (banning those coming from China, Hong Kong and Macau) helped stopped the number of more infected people to arise. However, the Department of Tourism should not be calm and be contented over the fact that they believe the country is safe for tourists and would always be safe. They should keep in mind that the first case of Coronavirus that died outside China is in the Philippines, as cited by. They should also keep in mind that aif one person is infected, the virus would spread fast and could infect anyone and everyone in no time. And as quoted by Desiderius Erasmus, ‘Prevention really is better than cure’ as it is better to deal with something before it worsens rather than to deal with it in the end wherein you cannot or you might not be able to fix it or find any cure for it.

Every nation got affected by the coronavirus and it puts the world on alert. The virus that began in China and significantly affected the lives of people around the globe. The concern rises about the spread of the coronavirus as essentially it is the health attention, but it also stimulates business professionals, including digital marketers.

The virus has a potential influence on the user’s buying routines. As advertising is equated to GDP growth, a contraction in GDP growth will affect advertisement factor negatively. Let’s understand how it affects the global health crisis in marketing activities.

Economical effects

The impact of the coronavirus spreads all over the world so now inventors are worried because of large shifts in stock markets that affect a lot where shares are bought and sold. According to the study, this time saw the worst performance for most of the stock markets.

A large number of gaming applications grown in the country as people download the video content. Pedagogueare putting their educational programs online while school is closed because of the infection of the virus. Galleries put their expositions online for the audience who want to scrutinize but currently unable to visit.

Just imagine the scenario of event cancellation. Several marketing events such as Mobile World Congress(MWC) and Global Marketing Summit of Facebook and many more have been dropped because of coronavirus concerns.

The marketers would really get affected when the unrehearsed events have been held behind the doors without the live audience to reduce the virus spread. The most effective advertising event is the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Because of the coronavirus spread, marketers have to improve digital marketing strategies and campaigns.

Trends towards online

As e-commerce supply channels are affected by the spread of the coronavirus and consequent company closures in some regions. So, marketers should notice that more public will shop online. You could notice an expedition towards e-commerce. So, people who are in the digital marketing think about the strategies.

According to the search engine, all the search terms related to the coronavirus outbreak. So the digital marketer has to research the relevant keywords or phrases and work to analyze the impact of COVID-19. For example, through the last few days, a massive number of people look for ‘From where I can buy the face mask?’

The dilemma requires businesses to revise several aspects for the future, especially to reaccess their digital marketing campaign such as pay per click, paid advertisements, etc.

Customer Connection

Digital marketing agency largely interested to get engaged with the customers in an online market place whether they’ve affected by the coronavirus or not. As the internet is accessible to reach consumers through advertisements to receive considerable results. Plan the advanced marketing strategies by keeping paid digital media advertisements in place to confront coronavirus and its digital marketing impact successfully. You can get your information out and easily build brand awareness and rise in the market place.

It’s an apt situation to invest in an advertisement for connected searches or social media strategies. Contact YellowFin Digital’s smart marketer who works on incidents plans. We don’t change what we’re doing, but we start to ensure that doing according to the appropriate scenario.

Scientists are working to identify dangerous COVID-19 and how it extends over the world. But the only thing they know without any doubt is (washing your hands decreases the destructive power of coronavirus. Hand washing truly, truly works. Moreover, it makes a different anticipate, the spread of a wide assortment of disease-causing micro-organisms, which are called pathogens, from food causing maladies to meat-eating bugs. It works to contain the spread of ailment whether you are the one who is wiped out or you are attempting to avoid catching something within, to begin with, it works more developed than the materials which are produced by hands, and lay off the Purell unless you are on the way to go.

“Handwashing with a cleanser for 20 seconds is one of the most important facts to ensure yourself, your family, and your community,” says Matthew Freeman, a teacher of the study of transmission and worldwide wellbeing at Emory University. On a physical level, washing your hands works by expelling the organisms in your hands much obliged to some essential chemistries. The cleanse is what is known as a surfactant, which suggests that it breaks down the oils and soil on your skin; water washes the broken-down oils and earth absent, carrying organisms along with it. “By rubbing your hands together, you make the grinding to urge the oils off,” Freeman says.

Washing your hands with pure water can help a bit if the elective is not washing your hands at all, but it is way less viable than cleaning with suds. But why this basic hone works so well to anticipate the expansion of infectious diseases? After all, washing your hands routinely and perfectly would give you a better result. Everything around your hands is still secured in pathogenic organisms. Once more, the reply is fundamentally beautiful: your hands contact the world, and they contact you, and you are confronting. Washing your hands frequently makes it less likely that you are escalating viruses within your hands to the stuff you are contacting with, where they can be used or taken by others. On the off chance that you are not wiped out, you may bring viruses from the places you have been before and bring them to your sensitive parts of your body like your nose, mouth or eyes. “People knew the viability of handwashing for hundreds of years before,” says Freeman, even if they did not know why it worked.

Numerous of the world’s religions improved washing their hands as a custom hone. In the 19th century, as western doctors lurched toward an understanding of the germ hypothesis of disease, handwashing gradually became a critical thing to do in restorative settings, although it was surprisingly disputable at the beginning. “It took much longer to induce handwashing to the common world” (Freeman). It is as it were within the final 40 years or so that world wellbeing specialists have begun working hard to persuade people to wash their hands after clearing out their house, after eating, and even after using the bathroom.

Works Cited

1. Eschner, Kat. “Why COVIS-19 can’t beat a good hand-washing” Popular Science, Bonnier Corporation, 9 Mar. 2020. Web. 10 Mar. 2020. https://www.popsci.com/story/health/washing-hands-prevent-disease/

The coronavirus epidemic is present on all continents. A collective fear sets in and changes our relationship with one another. Since December 2019, the new coronavirus has infected over 180,000 people for 7,000 deaths. This global virus is changing our relationships and our behavior. Why and how does this phenomenon transform our way of thinking?

In the recent period, there have been several epidemics, from the appearance of Ebola through AIDS, H5N1 or SARS. These epidemics or pandemics were initially unknown. If we take the example of coronavirus, a few weeks ago no one had heard of it. Some people think the name has just been invented when it has been around for a long time.

In front of any form of epidemic which threatens our health and the life of the individuals, are put in place ideas of magic recipe, of superstition. When coronavirus was confined to China, there was disinterest and stigmatization of the Chinese. When the epidemic arrived in Europe, the blame diminished and turned into a stigma for those infected. When someone coughs, everyone turns around. This is the protective behaviors that arise from the magic thought which is linked to superstition. In times of uncertainty, we refer to superstition. At first we do not have enough information and we set up a series of behaviors which is part of the magic recipe. Some put a special cream on their skin, others say that it is necessary to avoid such-and-such a person, etc. They observed the same thing with the Zika virus when some said that one could walk around in the evening without risk of being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus or dressing in white protected us. These behaviors reassure and help manage uncertainty in the face of uncertain and unmanageable elements.

We are social beings. We need to make sense of and understand our environment. When something happens to us, we want to understand why. We cannot explain natural disasters or epidemics. We can turn to science, but even it does not explain everything. For coronavirus, we can go back to the market in Wuhan and to the bat, but it tells us how – but not why – the virus arrived. We can also turn to God by saying that it is a divine disease, or we can go to conspiratorial beliefs with the government which would act in secret. We need to have an explanation, an answer. This is how we come to need a scapegoat. The best example is that we have, these are stereotypes about groups of people, and this uncertainty brings out our prejudices. When we categorize, with an ‘we’ and an ‘them’, biases are activated. We think our group is better than the others, that the others are all the same and that we are all different. These prejudices will serve as an explanation, a justification. It’s the same thing to create cohesion in a group, we often look for a scapegoat or someone to oppose.

For the past few days, many people have said that coronavirus is like the flu. However, it has nothing to do with flu since it is a lung disease. In fact, we know little, so we will develop profane knowledge from our interactions, from our representation of the world, from what we can read. It is this profane knowledge that will induce collective fear. We have an opinion on everything when we do not have sufficient knowledge on all subjects. When we are confronted with an unknown object, we create a representation with a double process of objectification and anchoring. The first notion refers to the fact that to speak of a subject, we will only select certain elements according to our own prejudices. Anchoring is how we incorporate what we have selected into our thought system, how it is consistent with the rest of our ideas. We might distort, exaggerate, or delete certain information so it fits into our own reading grid.

There is a high probability that beliefs that seem irrational, such as conspiracy theories, fake news or the like, will multiply. They already exist, but when a full-blown epidemic is triggered, there will be many more. The reason is that it will no longer be a question of confining the disease to prevent it from developing but, because we have failed in containing the disease, to place all the resources in hospitals and emergency services. For everyone, this means it is very serious because it is the last epidemic stage. The measures taken to stem the spread of the virus will be dropped and most of the efforts will be redirected to hospitals. People will see government effort less every day, and this is where conspiracy theories will come in.

Before the days of the Coronavirus pandemic, the global climate emergency was something that was widely talked about – along with, of course, Brexit.

The COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic has transformed the world in so many ways. Much of the world is in lockdown, with businesses, hospitality venues, transport networks and general socialising all brought to a halt. Thousands (around 677,000 so far,) have contracted the new Coronavirus, and tragically over 31,000 people have lost their lives. There is no clear end of the virus pandemic in sight, and when it does end, there will no doubt be lasting impacts on the world and how we live our lives.

Since the start of the pandemic, climate change and the Climate Emergency haven’t been key topics featuring in the news, however, there is big news to tell. With the virus pandemic bringing much of the world to a standstill and more than a third of the planet’s population under some form of restrictions, the amount of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions have fallen significantly across the world. Research has found that carbon monoxide emissions have been reduced by nearly 50% compared with last year, while emissions fell 25% at the start of the year in China as large lockdowns were put into force.

Scientists have said that by May, CO2 levels may be the lowest level since the financial crisis over a decade ago. In countries including Italy and China, nitrogen dioxide levels have been falling due to fewer car journeys and less industrial activity. Aviation has also been grounded in many parts of the world, with thousands of flights cancelled. Emissions from transport are currently lower, though emissions in other areas, such as home heating can be expected to be higher. However, it is generally thought that the reduction in transport emissions outweighs emissions from the home.

Many businesses have told their staff stay to work from home amid the pandemic, cutting transport use and subsequently reducing emissions. There are questions over whether some businesses may switch to a more regular home-working model after the pandemic has concluded. Home-working brings its challenges, including a lack of social interaction and trying to adapt to new technology, but for many businesses, it is now working. Home-working also brings some advantages, including increased flexibility – and of course benefits for the environment.

Speaking at an online panel discussion hosted by climate litigation charity Plan B. the chair of the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health, Sir Michael Marmot said: “What the Covid crisis exposes is that we can do things differently. We must not go back to the status quo, we cannot do that.”

Scientists and academics are already stressing the importance of governments carefully considering their actions to stimulate economies after the COVID-19 pandemic. After the global financial crash in 2008 and 2009, carbon emissions rose by 5% due to boosted fossil fuel use as a result of economic stimulus spending.Due to disagreement amongst world leaders and the population about the importance of climate change, it is uncertain whether future economic decisions will seriously consider the environment. It can also be questioned what impact the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the attainment of climate goals that have already been set, such as reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 in the UK and banning the sale of petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2035. On the one hand, the current pandemic may help the attainment of these targets are the rise in emissions slows, however, decisions made after the pandemic could potentially counteract the lower levels of emissions achieved in recent months.

In difficult times of constant bad news, there is positive news on the climate front – however, key decisions in the future will be crucial in determining whether this more positive news can continue.

The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is a new and ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that can be attributed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak was initially identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019, and was later classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 2020. By March 21, 2020, more than 284,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in over 180 countries and territories, resulting in more than 11,800 deaths and 93,000 recoveries.

As the new coronavirus pandemic affects the globe and people take to their homes to avoid getting and spreading the contagion, it is expected that much of the conversation about it is taking place online. People are using the internet to share information, show their anxieties, and while away time while in quarantine and self-isolation.

Mentions of “coronavirus” across search platforms and news media started to increase in late February, according to social media analytics platform Sprinklr. The latest rise in mentions shows how the conversation around the Coronavirus pandemic has spiked in recent weeks. Sprinklr recorded about 20 million comments and mentions of terms relating to coronavirus on March 11.

“With 19 million mentions across social media and news sites related to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours alone around the world, it’s clear that coronavirus is the first global pandemic that is unfolding on social media with unprecedented volumes of conversations happening every second,” stated, Grad Conn, Sprinklr chief experience and marketing officer. “Global social media usage rates had grown by about 50 per cent since 2014 when the Ebola epidemic was happening worldwide. And recent major news stories — including climate change, sporting, and political events — have not had the same global impact as Coronavirus on individuals, businesses, and governments.”

The concerns of people about Coronavirus have also been reflective in their search history. Google searches of Coronavirus in the United States saw their first significant spike relative to all search traffic toward the end of January. In recent days, Coronavirus has seen its highest level of search traffic, a level that was indicated by a score of 100 on Google Trends. This is an enormous search volume by any measure. Here’s that same trend indexed against perennially popular Google searches of “Trump,” “music,” and “video” for the last two months: “I haven’t seen anything like this,” Simon Rogers, data editor on the News Lab team at Google, told Recode, referring to the sharp increase in searches of coronavirus related terms.

Collaborative robots, or cobots as they are commonly known, have developed extremely fast and successfully. An emerging technology met with scepticism only a decade ago, and today cobots represent the fastest-growing segment of industrial robotics. Given the latest exciting trends in robotics research, their success is expected to grow. The global collaborative robots market size was valued at USD 649.1 million in 2018 and is projected to expand at the CAGR of 44.5%, from 2019 to 2025. The collaborative robot or cobot is intended to interact with humans in a shared workspace, physically. The growing adoption in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and investments in automation of manufacturing processes are the key factor driving the growth. The emergence of robots working along with humans in areas like smart parts assembly and electronics product assembly further fuels the demand.

This has also positively affected the way they are searched on the internet. According to Google trend, there has been a steady increase in the rate at which internet users search phrases connected to the Robotics industry over the last five years, with the dip in searches recorded about a few months ago.

This reduction in internet searches on robotics can be attributed to the outbreak of Coronavirus as the disease has been shown to affect all other popular internet searches since the time of its outbreak.

If the recent trends on internet searches are anything to go by, a continued drop in the rate at which robotics-related phrases are searched is to be expected, at least, till the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic is stopped and considerable improvement has been made in developing a cure.

As the global economy reels from the impact of the contagious Coronavirus, businesses are shifting strategies, hoarding cash and preparing for the worst. But the reality is that companies can thrive in downtimes. There will be business winners and losers in this new global situation. And many of the winners will be among those who invest heavily in search engine marketing.

In times like this, money is significant. The only business that has enough funds can survive economic downtimes like this. And as it is, SEO is one of the most effective marketing methods that can give excellent ROI at this moment. This is because SEO marketing gets to the end users exactly when they are in a state of need. Search engine marketing produces sales and leads precisely because the consumer is connected to the company’s brand when they are searching for their product or service.

Despite the self-isolation and social distancing that’s being preached now, people still need things, and now that they are indoors is when they will do more searching for products and services required. By putting a brand in front of searchers, a product seller or service provider make the cut when the buying decision is made. Moreover, there are already indications that some goods are going to be hard to find soon. When products and services are scarce, consumers will search for them. If and when these products or services are not available, users will search for alternatives. If a business brand can be in the search results when people are searching for scarce goods or services, that business will be a beneficiary of the economic windfall.

The types of scarcity that may be witnessed in the coming months are unprecedented in the lifetimes of most people. Forward-thinking search engine marketers will be looking for opportunities to capitalize on the scarcity of specific items and also start working to rank for those items, as well as ranking in the topics around those items. Many SEO professionals will build link building campaigns around alternatives for products that are exorbitantly expensive and hard to find. Those that can capitalize on SEO will be better off, as the keyword costs around scarce items will most likely increase as the demand increases.

Besides, things will revert to normal sooner or later; it probably may not be the same world we are used to or likely take a long time. Nonetheless, SEO marketing will still be one of the most effective ways to reach consumers. Hence, it will be easier for people who have applied effective SEO marketing techniques during the trying times will be in an excellent position to revert to the status quo when things normalize. It is, therefore, encouraged that all businesses to either continue or start aggressive SEO marketing efforts. SEO marketing is the most effective way to market business during economic downtimes like this.