Question

The whole world is facing pandemic issue with COVID-19. It started in Wuhan, China. Based on the statistic stated by World Health Organization (WHO), there were more than 6 billion confirmed cases and more than 400 thousand death was reported. Every country in the world including Malaysia is in the force fighting with this pandemic. However, every country has their own ways to handle the crisis. Referring to the THREE (3) countries mentioned below:

i. China
ii. Malaysia
iii. United State of America

Conduct a detail analysis from any sources or article (kindly provide the references list) and provide comparisons according to the questions below:


QUESTION 1
Demonstrate the contributing factors and warning signs noticed by the government from each country to predict other potential crisis.

Answer 1

1. China-

Symptoms of COVID-19 are non-specific and the disease presentation can range from no symptoms (asymptomatic) to severe pneumonia and death. As of 20 February 2020 and based on 55924 laboratory confirmed cases, typical signs and symptoms include: fever (87.9%), dry cough (67.7%), fatigue (38.1%), sputum production (33.4%), shortness of breath (18.6%), sore throat (13.9%), headache (13.6%), myalgia or arthralgia (14.8%), chills (11.4%), nausea or vomiting (5.0%), nasal congestion (4.8%), diarrhea (3.7%), and hemoptysis (0.9%), and conjunctival congestion (0.8%).

Asymptomatic infection has been reported, but the majority of the relatively rare cases who are asymptomatic on the date of identification/report went on to develop disease. The proportion of truly asymptomatic infections is unclear but appears to be relatively rare and does not appear to be a major driver of transmission.

Upon the detection of a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown etiology in Wuhan, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council launched the national emergency response. A Central Leadership Group for Epidemic Response and the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council were established. General Secretary Xi Jinping personally directed and deployed the prevention and control work and requested that the prevention and control of the COVID-19 outbreak be the top priority of government at all levels. Prime Minister Li Keqiang headed the Central Leading Group for Epidemic Response and went to Wuhan to inspect and coordinate the prevention and control work of relevant departments and provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) across the country. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who has been working on the frontlines in Wuhan, has led and coordinated the frontline prevention and control of the outbreak.

The prevention and control measures have been implemented rapidly, from the early stages in Wuhan and other key areas of Hubei, to the current overall national epidemic. It has been undertaken in three main phases, with two important events defining those phases. First, COVID-19 was included in the statutory report of Class B infectious diseases and border health quarantine infectious diseases on 20 January 2020, which marked the transition from the initial partial control approach to the comprehensive adoption of various control measures in accordance with the law. The second event was the State Council’s issuing, on 8 February 2020, of The Notice on Orderly Resuming Production and Resuming Production in Enterprises, which indicated that China’s national epidemic control work had entered a stage of overall epidemic prevention and control together with the restoration of normal social and economic operations. (as per the reports from WHO-China Joint Mission on COVID-19).

2. Malaysia-

The first Malaysian was confirmed with COVID-19 on the 4^th February 2020. The 41-year old man had recently returned from Singapore when he started to develop a fever and a cough. He was quarantined at Sungai Buloh Hospital, Selangor. On the same day, a 4-year-old Chinese national girl who had been isolated at Sultanah Maliha Hospital, Langkawi, since the 29^th January 2020, had recovered, been discharged and was allowed to return to China. In Malaysia, this was the first patient who had recovered from COVID-19 since the outbreak began.

The government implemented an “Enhanced Movement Controlled Order (EMCO)” for specific areas in Kuala Lumpur including Kluang, Hulu Langat, Menara City One, Selangor Mansion, and Malayan Mansion effective until 28^th April 2020. Residents who were under the EMCO were not permitted to leave their houses (the government provided food to the affected residents), receive visitors, or enter COVID-19 affected areas. All the residents had to be screened for COVID-19 by health officials. The MOH identified a new cluster of COVID-19 cases in Sendayan, Negeri Sembilan, on the 14^th April 2020 where 39 people were identified as COVID-19 positive. The MOH to date has reported 29 virus clusters throughout Malaysia. There were 69 COVID-19 positive cases reported by the MOH on 17^th April 2020 and this was the first time that the number of cases was less than 100 since the 14^th March 2020. (Elengoe, A. june, 2020. Covid outbreak in malaysia).

3. United States-

In the three weeks since the first US case of coronavirus was confirmed, state leaders, public health institutions, corporations, universities and churches have been at the vanguard of the nation’s effort to mitigate its spread. Images of safety workers in hazmat suits disinfecting offices of multinational corporations and university campuses populate American Facebook pages. The contrast to the White House effort to manage the message, downplay, then rapidly escalate its estimation of the crisis is stark.

Declarations of state emergencies by individual states have given corporations, universities and churches the freedom and legitimacy to move rapidly, and ahead of the federal government, to halt the spread in their communities. In the absence of greater coordination and leadership from the centre, the US response will pale in comparison to China’s dramatic moves to halt the spread. The chaos across America’s airports shows the need for public oversight. As New York State Governor Cuomo pleaded for federal government support to build new hospitals, he said: ‘I can’t do it. You can’t leave it to the states.'

When it comes to global pandemics, we may be discovering that authoritarian states can have a short-term advantage, but already Iran’s response demonstrates that this is not universally the case. Over time, the record across authoritarian states as they tackle the coronavirus will become more apparent, and it is likely to be mixed. Open societies remain essential. Prevention requires innovation, creativity, open sharing of information, and the ability to inspire and mobilize international cooperation. The state is certainly necessary, but it is not sufficient alone. (Vanjamuri, L., March,2020. America's Coronavirus Response Is Shaped By Its Federal Structure).

References:-

1. Report of the WHO-China joint mission on COVID-19. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf

2. Elengoe, A., 2020. COVID-19 outbreak in malaysia. doi: 10.24171/j.phrp.2020.11.3.08

3. Vanjamuri, L., 2020. America's coronavirus response is shaped by its federal structure. Expert Comment, Chatham House.