By Jacqueline Crivello
(Source Embedded In Image)
The coronavirus has continued to spread through the end of summer. More regulations have been put in place, and hopefully the cases will begin to decline as the school year starts. The US has made very different decisions in its response to the virus compared with Sweden and other European countries, but one country that really stuck out was New Zealand. There have been very few cases and most have been resolved, leaving only about 16 cases right now. After doing plenty of research I have found which tactics and regulations have been used to stabilize the virus and stop it from spreading further. If the US used these guidelines sooner, the virus could have been better contained.
As COVID-19 began its rise in the beginning of March, there were actually many cases in New Zealand. In fact, looking at the disease models, it was predicted that the country would have a large breakout of the virus which would “overwhelm” the health system. As quoted from an article, “New Zealand began implementing its pandemic influenza plan in earnest in February, which included preparing hospitals for an influx of patients. We also began instituting border-control policies to delay the pandemic’s arrival.” From the very beginning, they were regulating travel, which is an area in which the US could have improved in its response. New Zealand's first case of the coronavirus was diagnosed on February 26th. That was the same week that China's joint mission report on COVID-19 showed that SARS was behaving more like a severe respiratory syndrome than like the flu, meaning it was possible to contain the virus.
Shown above are daily new cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand, including both confirmed (blue) and probable (red) cases. Below this graph is a chart of the measures taken by the New Zealand government to stem the spread of the virus, demonstrating the effect of each measure in comparison with the new cases. The darker shading represents strengthened controls or heightened measures.
The government implemented a country-wide lockdown on March 26, a month after the first cases appeared. This stay-at-home order lasted a total of 7 weeks, and was lifted after the country noticed a great decline in new cases. In May, the last known case was identified until this August, when four new cases were reported. “All four of these cases are members of the same family who live in South Auckland,” the government stated on Tuesday, August 11th. The first case that was identified from the family was a person in their 50s that had not traveled overseas. Even though only this family was affected, more cases are beginning to pop up, according to Prime Minister Jacinda Arden. As quoted from the Director of General Health, Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, "This case is a wake-up call against any complacency that may have set in. We cannot afford to let this virus spread. We have seen how quickly it can lead to a wider resurgence in communities overseas. Places that have had COVID-19 under control have seen flare-ups and gone back into a full lockdown. We are working to not let that happen here. We've done this before and we can do it again.” For the next few weeks, the government is going to take heavy precautions and people have been asked to stay at home once again.
Although New Zealand currently has an amazingly low number of cases, there is still the possibility that the virus will spread once again in this country. However, it is clear that New Zealand initially shut down their country for the right amount of time, immensely stemming the spread of COVID-19 and setting a good example for the rest of the world to follow.
Fact of the Week
This is a weird one, but: Could an armadillo’s shell withstand a bullet?
Answer: YES! In fact, “one Texas man was hospitalized when a bullet he shot at an armadillo ricocheted off the animal and hit him in the jaw.”