Covid19 ~ How will it affect us? (Kuala Lumpur)

January 28, Protected content
Kuala Lumpur
in response to a persons opinion in another chat group:

... good to hear your thoughts on Protected content . I was around Asia during SARS and SARS2 which created havoc in Protected content 2004. I thought I would share with you what happened then and so you could have perspective what could happen now.

1. There is a higher chance of the Asian economies collapsing than anyone in this chat group being infected of the virus, unless somebody was in Wuhan and bumped into a primary carrier who was at the wet market in the last 21 days.

2. You probably will know somebody in your 4th degree of separation that will have been exposed or infected by the virus. But the mortality rate is 3%, if somebody has been diagnosed at an early stage. This sort of a virus is like a tsunami or a volcano blast, you will know when it is coming closer. It isn't "here" yet, those who have been diagnosed and in hospital will have a high chance of survival.

3. Malaysia and Singapore is far more prepared today for such epidemics, because since SARS, we have had many other outbreaks like the Nipah virus and another to do with chicken. It is unfortunate that the hospitals are well equipped but not the airports. No Asian country has a centre for disease control at an airport, something they did not learn from SARS. I think we also had one with HFM that was very severe.

4. Because of social media today, we feel there's an uncontrollable situation, but it is the Government's job to control not of the situation or media (because it cannot) but to get the day's administration of the country and work done. The politicians will have their own agenda, and the opposition will have their opposing agenda. Let's filter out the noise and be discerning with what information we need and need to digest.

5. Watch the key currency and stock markets indicators, because those who speculate are speculating about the confidence of the world economies. They are the analytics that are indexing every news article and imposing a value to the economy. So you actually don't need to listen to the Government, listen to research analyst who's job is to give opinions by valuation.

6. If things go bad, it is not the health of people, but the health of the economy. that will be reflected. In Protected content , businesses slowed down to a standstill, companies went into bankruptcies, people lost money, jobs were made redundant, expats left the country, and it took a good 4 years before Asia recovered in Protected content . I was made redundant in Protected content , and took me a year and a half before i found my feet. There were days there was no money, no business, no nothing, and depression can be more difficult than dealing with a virus.

7. Whatever health precaution you take today is out of date every 30 days. During SARS, the virus kept mutating, and biotechnology could not keep up with the speed of mutation. China did not have the intellect, technology, or the organisation skills to put into place the right process. Today, China is in the forefront of biotechnology, and if anyone, China has the resources, the intellect and most importantly the manpower to deal with it. All Asian economies are at least 10 years behind today, unlike SARS, we were 10 years ahead of China then.

8. We all know that many of the deaths that have occurred have been primarily due to poor hygiene, immune system and and polluted environment. Whilst we do live in a developing country, where maybe the mamak restaurants should take note, remember that Hong Kong and Singapore are not developing, they are developed and in Singapore's case quite sanitised. But during SARS, they suffered most. This epidemic will reach wherever it can travel, not to a destination of hygiene or not. You can't lock down China, the world's economies will collapse.

9. I am not rushing out to buy masks, because if I do, I will deny somebody else who feels they might have needed it more. When things are nearing problematic, this rich Government will have the necessary stock piles released. But let the Hospitals, Airline/Airport, Hotels and Tourist related businesses and services who we need to depend on to get things moving in status quo be given priority and let us support them. They are in a high risk band, whilst we are probably low to medium.

10. We unfortunately don't live in a santised world, and even if we think we do, we interact with people who might not. Luck, Faith and a sense of perseverance plays an important role in shaping how we think, react and conclude the observations at hand. Let's create a sense of optimism, hope and well-being. And truly if these are our last days, then let us enjoy every moment at hand, if not cherish every moment we have thus far.

I hope this would calm the nerves of many, but if there are alternative views that I might not be aware, please accept my apology. Although ignorance is bliss, sometimes being unaware is simply a different social media.

🙏🏼