April Fools Day is a day that is traditionally celebrated across the world by pranks, jokes and a spot of fun. However, as the world continues to battle COVID-19, death tolls rise and countries globally race to quell the curve, today will not be a traditional day. This year has not been a traditional year from the Australian Bushfires, to the US aggravating their ties with both Iran and China to Saudi Arabia and Russia engaging in an oil price war- COVID 19 is yet another thing that 2020 has brought to the world.
This year has brought fundamental changes in the lives of many across the globe as more and more countries place lockdowns similar to those experienced during World War II times. People have lost their jobs either permanently or temporarily, the economy is slowly dipping and hundreds of people are dying all over the world.
In these dark times, we often forget the importance of our actions and the impact this has on the world around us. We also often forget the luck we have to be living where we are and having our own unique Australian problems to the pandemic.
America’s COVID-19 death toll has now eclipsed that of China and is increasingly projected to be the new epicentre of the pandemic. The cracks of their healthcare system are and will continue to be outlines as almost every state will struggle to cope with the extreme pressure it will face. America’s governors are angry at the disconnect and lies they find their President spreading about the availability of tests and his ability to engage in a diplomatic squabble with China about his naming of the “Chinese Virus”.
In Italy, despite finally having the lowest daily virus infection rate in two weeks, has seen the deaths of thousands of those fighting the disease both young and old. Spain is closely mirroring its European ally as it reaches its highest daily death toll of 849 new deaths pushing the overall death toll to 8,189 deaths and 94,417 reported infections.
In India, frontline health workers face severe shortages of personal protective equipment as they prepare for what they believe will be a tsunami of coronavirus cases. To combat the rising toll of infections, President Modi has placed India’s 1.3 billion people in lockdown for 3 weeks with police beating those who break the law. Many have seen the videos and photos that have emerged of police repeatedly beating and telling them to get off the streets despite the fact that they have nowhere else to go.
There are now over 850,000 people globally that have had or currently have COVID-19. Johns Hopkins University has data that shows despite the total global deaths reaching over 42,000, the total recovered cases are at 178,000 highlighting that the morality rate is not as sobering as it may appear. Despite this, these figures will continue to rise and we must do our part to mitigate the effects of the peak that will inevitably hit.
Currently in Australia, there are 4762 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed as of 12:30pm on April 1st 2020. Our national death toll is at 20 with the death of a 95-year old Sydney woman overnight. Despite the peak of the virus in Australia not yet reaching there is an abundance of research that shows that the actions we take now to social distance and self-isolate will in fact lower the curve and thus lower the eventual rate of mortality. In Australia, we need an 80% reduction in physical contacts in order to mitigate the dire effects of COVID-19 and Australia is fortunate because we are in a position that other countries globally are not.
We must celebrate our fortune but also remember that the actions we partake in now, have the ability to reshape the future of our country. As April comes and goes, remember that the decisions we make as to whether we listen to our government, we care about each other, we come together as one will alter the course that Australia is taking. It is up to all of us to do our part, stay at home, take care of each other and take care of ourselves.
In these times we must also remember that the world continues and life goes on. No matter how easy it is to fall into a bubble and to watch the news and be brought down, remember that we are in fact the lucky ones.
