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Everything is said to have run its course here: the Wuhan Huanan Seafood Market. Bild: AP
Today a year ago it was reported: “A mysterious lung disease broke out in Wuhan”
“A mysterious lung disease broke out in Wuhan” – that was a message from the Keystone-SDA news agency exactly one year ago. A lot has happened since then. A bit of time travel through last spring’s reports.
December 31, 2019: 365 days ago the world was another one. He never suffered a bout of claustrophobia when watching movie scenes with large crowds, and the most likely response when someone spoke of epidemiological situations and incidents was probably “Health.”
But today exactly one year ago, one of the greatest crises in modern history began. At least in the Swiss media. Because on December 31, 2019, the Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA, which also supplies Watson, wrote the following message:
As dark as it would be to tell our past selves at that moment what our life would be like in a year, it is to read the first reports about the coronavirus with our current level of knowledge. A little trip back in time.
December 31, 2019: First message from China
In the first report on the “mysterious lung disease”, Keystone-SDA wrote:
“The ‘Volkszeitung’ countered rumors on the Internet that there could be a new outbreak of Sars lung disease.”
“The health commission reported that many of the infections can be traced back to a visit to the Huanan fish market in Wuhan.”
“The symptoms are mainly fever. Few patients have respiratory problems. Cases are treated as viral pneumonia. A person-to-person transmission or infection from medical personnel has not yet been discovered, the authority determined.
January 1, 2020: “A lung disease broke out in China”
The second report from China followed on January 1 of this year. Watson took over and reported on the coronavirus for the first time. Reports of repression by the Wuhan police circulated:
“Eight people were arrested for spreading false information on the Internet with negative social effects, Wuhan police announced on Wednesday.”
January 6th: “WHO observes a mysterious lung disease in China: 59 patients”
On January 6, the World Health Organization (WHO) intervened for the first time: “WHO is closely monitoring the situation and is in close contact with the national authorities in China.” The news agency wrote:
“About 120 people are currently under observation. Meanwhile, Hong Kong has taken the first precautionary measures: fever-measuring devices have been installed at the airport. Travelers from Wuhan are controlled separately. So far, 16 suspected cases have been reported in the special administrative region of China. “
January 9th: The «Tagesschau» reports
An article in “Tagesschau” from January 9, 2020 is worth seeing. For the first time, the “mysterious lung disease of China” is reported. It was also said that the virus is not supposed to be transmitted from person to person “and that the risk of infection is relatively small.”
Check it out here:
Video: Watson
January 20: “A mysterious lung disease is spreading in China”
The first case was reported not only in China, but also in South Korea, according to a news dispatch. Three people died from the disease.
“In the megacity, the number of infected with the pathogen has increased: 136 new cases were reported over the weekend, the health authority said. The number of confirmed cases has skyrocketed to around 200. “
“Experts also warn of a possible person-to-person transmission of the virus. China’s health commission called for caution in Beijing because the origin of the new type of coronavirus has not yet been found. It is also not certain how people were infected: ‹Transmission is not yet fully understood.› However, experts considered the outbreak to be “controllable”.
In Watson’s article on this, user “Füürtüfäli” wrote the main comment criticizing China’s handling of the virus. As it was later discovered, China’s response was far better than that of most other countries in the world.
January 25: 56 million people are in quarantine
On January 23, China removed the cordon and quarantined the entire city of Wuhan less than a month after the Covid-19 diseases became official. Beijing also canceled all major New Year celebrations as a precaution.
“After a two-day crisis meeting, WHO decided not to declare a global health emergency for the time being. The reason given is that so far there has been no ‘evidence’ that the pathogen is transmitted from person to person outside of China. “
On January 25, China massively expanded measures, quarantined 56 million people and established fever measurement stations on all public transport in the People’s Republic.
26 of January: “The federal government tightened the information requirements for the coronavirus”
The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) is taking the first preventive measures against the coronavirus. The reporting requirement for doctors and laboratories has been tightened.
“Starting next week, doctors and laboratories will have to inform the cantons and the federal government about the suspected corona infection within two hours.”
“In addition, the FOPH is in contact with tour operators who organize group tours with guests from Asia in Switzerland. Patrick Mathys, Head of the Crisis Prevention Section at FOPH, currently rates the risk of infection in Switzerland as low. There are currently no measures to enter Switzerland. Numerous other airports have introduced screening measures for passengers from Wuhan. “
February 25: The virus has reached Switzerland
On February 25, after the virus had already made its way to Europe and a tragedy was looming in northern Italy, the coronavirus also reached Switzerland.
Switzerland has its first case of coronavirus. A 70-year-old man from Ticino tested positive on Tuesday. Ten days ago I had attended a meeting near Milan.
“At the moment, the federal government will not change any of its measures. So said Pascal Strupler, Director of the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG), on Tuesday evening in front of the Bundeshausmedien in Bern. The risk to the population remains ‘moderate’, also because the man was apparently not infected in Switzerland, but in Italy. “
One can only hope that within a year we will be able to report on the absurdity of the reports from a year ago.
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