Scientific AmericanScientific American June 2020 pp44-45 Special Report “What Comes Next” “Large Outbreaks of Disease In The Past Suggest How COVID-19 Could Play Out” By Lydia Denworth.
“In Brief. The end game will likely involve a mix of efforts that stopped historic outbreaks: social-control measures, medications and a vaccine”.
The table below details some prior viral epidemics or pandemics. COVID-19 particularly difficult because it is transmitted from asymptomatic and as well as symptomatic individuals. Currently, there is little immunity in the global population. COVID-19 originated from exposure to bats carrying a coronavirus that through genetic mutation became able to infect humans. It then spread rapidly from asymptomatic humans to other humans aided by crowding and global air travel.
Regions that have been highly successful in stemming COVID-19 rapidly and in some situations forcibly enacted social distancing, patient isolation and comprehensive testing.
South Korea and Singapore having suffered MERS (Coronavirus, South Korea 2015 and Saudi Arabia 2018) and SARS (Coronavirus, 2003 China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Canada, Singapore) in recent memory were extremely effective in stopping COVID-19.
