With the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world at an unprecedented rate, many governmental authorities are not prepared to respond to the expanding virus. Whether that is shown with the decreasing number of ventilators, masks, and gloves in hospitals or the number of unemployed individuals increasing by the day, the world is left uncertain about how to properly fight this ‘invisible war’ and come out unscathed. 

   In China, where this virus originated in late December of 2019 when a person ate an infected bat that they bought at a food market in Wuhan, according to CNN, Wuhan officials reacted with suspicion to new pathogens. After the foreign illness began to spread, the officials held a record breaking Communist Party meeting, a potluck lunch involving 40,000 families and they had Wuhan police go after people spreading “rumors” about the virus online. However, as this information does not shine a positive light on Wuhan officials, when China approached three thousand cases with eighty deaths, they placed nearly 60 million people on lockdown, with full or partial restrictions on 15 cities in Hubei, the Chinese province of which Wuhan is the capital. Three months and eighty-one thousand cases later, China has been able to begin flattening their curve. Although similar precautions are made, the same can not be said for Italy, Spain, or the United States as they tackle this virus.

   Some may conclude the reason behind the previous statement is because these countries have developed the pathogen later than China. Nevertheless, the US, one of the richest countries internationally, has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world reached in less than a month. This not only shows that it takes more than money to solve this pandemic, but that it takes a commitment and responsibility, from everyone involved, to know what symptoms look like for this virus. In China, even though they have taken extreme measures to stop the virus, cases still occur due to the transmission of the illness through asymptomatic cases. So even with the digital surveillance and quarantining of infected patients in hospitals, gadgetry is not enough to fight this pandemic. The real issue is not what is lacking in hospitals, but more what individuals are doing to keep themselves safe so that others are safe. 

   Many people do not see harm in coming in close contact with people when they and the person they are in close contact with do not show symptoms, but the reason why this virus spreads is because of people who believe they do not or could not contract this virus. So follow the recommendations made by health experts and stay safe.