6
DOMESTIC Organ Donation: Have You Got the Guts?
LENT ISSUE
10
OXFORDSHIRE Hunger Metropolis
20
ART
27
FOOTBALL
A Revolution in Art...100 Years On
The Fresh Faced Euros of 2021
Abingdon School’s Leading Newspaper
ISSUE 21
INTERNATIONAL
Coronacrisis Rory Bishop discusses the development of COVID-19 and its potential impact on Abingdon School.
On New Years’ Eve of the new decade, the first reports of an unknown virus were submitted to the World Health Organisation in Wuhan. This disease, officially dubbed COVID-19, but more commonly known as the coronavirus, soon became an international catastrophe. The 26th of February also saw the first case in South America, meaning that the disease has now spread to every continent (bar Antarctica). The fear of the epidemic has soon become just as widespread as the disease itself as the encroachment of the problem is verging on the brink of a global pandemic. However, people have come into contact with large quantities of conflicting information about the coronavirus, as statements thrown around with little validation. It is important to explore the key aspects of the coronavirus, such as from where it started, how it spread, why it did so with such speed, and most significantly whether or not it is actually a risk at Abingdon School? Wuhan is the capital city of the Hubei province and is the most populous city of Central China, housing 11,081,000 in the sub provincial city. Most crucially it is where the disease began. The disease is said to have started in a small seafood market in the city, with stallholders being the first to contract the disease through their contact to both produce and illegal skins and furs traded in the market. There is still contention as to what animal is most likely to have started it, but certain bugs, pangolins, and snakes are all prime suspects, however, bats and monkeys seem increasingly likely to be responsible. in
yet to be confirmed theories. Whilst the first diseases had been reported on the 31st of December, and the market shut down the subsequent day, the disease had already begun to spread. It would not be sufficiently recognised as of such a serious threat, and the statistics recorded, until the 22nd of January, wherein 580 cases had since been diagnosed. Since then, its spread has been largely consistent, with the only observable spike being on the 12th of February, where 14,000 new cases were registered due to new parameters for diagnoses which led to many borderline cases being officially recognised. The average increase in cases per day is exponentially increasing. Merely stating facts about the growth of the disease can only get you so far though. Statistics are of little value without context. Despite being colloquially called a virus, the condition of major concern is actually an infectious disease. The coronavirus leads to the contraction of the coronavirus disease that has been dubbed COVID-19. The problem at hand when dealing with statistics is that it is quite hard to certify a full recovery of the disease, and many cases and their respective recoveries are yet to be reported. For comparison only around three percent of those who have caught the disease have actually died. The virus is primarily spread through respiratory droplets released in coughs, sneezes or simply breaths, and it can travel in the air approximately six feet. It can also be spread through contact with surfaces, albeit to a lesser extent. The contagion can be heightened if the person is
already sick, especially if their prior sickness is inherently respiratorily linked. It should also be recognised that it can be spread before someone even shows symptoms. The symptoms of the coronavirus are akin to a more dire strain of the common cold, but quickly escalate. This is due to the fact they fall in the same family, and the symptoms include a cough, high temperature, and shortness of breath. Identifying it in the Northern Hemisphere can be especially problematic at this time of year. A fourteen-day policy has been introduced, meaning that if you have been in contact with someone with coronavirus in the last two weeks they should report it and impose a self-monitored quarantine for two weeks to ensure you are not showing any symptoms. This has subsequently been applied to Abingdon School, especially its boarding population under the advice of the school’s personal health instructor, Public Health England (PHE), and the Department of Health and Social Care. Whilst no Abingdon pupils are from Wuhan, which is now in lock down, those from China were told not to travel home over the half term break, and if they did they would likely not be readmitted onto school premises for the time being. The problem is ever-changing and the management when it comes to the Easter break is yet to be determined. The next crucial question on everyone’s mind at present is as to why it spread with such haste, and even faster
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