Why did SARS disappear in a few months, and the new crown has not stopped for 4 years?
When the SARS virus broke out, people also experienced pain and panic, but in the end it disappeared in a short time. However, the coronavirus has been bothering us for 4 years, why is it so stubborn?
From the SARS epidemic in 2002 to the current new crown epidemic, there has been a gap of 18 years. Both are diseases caused by coronaviruses, but they have very different trajectories. The SARS virus lasted only a few months before disappearing, while the new coronavirus tossed us for four whole years. What is the reason behind this?
The speed of the SARS virus and the mutation of the new coronavirus
First of all, the SARS virus spreads more slowly, and patients are easily detected and isolated. At the same time, the SARS virus has low variability, and scientists quickly found effective treatments and vaccines. In contrast, the coronavirus spreads quickly and is highly contagious, making it difficult to track and control in time. At the same time, the new coronavirus has a high degree of variability, and new variants are constantly emerging, which brings great challenges to the prevention and control work.
Global transportation and information dissemination
Another important reason is the globalization of transportation and information dissemination. At the time of the SARS outbreak, global transportation was not as convenient as it is now, people were less mobile, and the spread of the virus was relatively small. And today, with easy access between countries around the world, people's mobility has increased dramatically, resulting in the rapid spread of the virus across borders. At the same time, the popularization of the Internet has also made the spread of information more rapid, which is not only a weapon for prevention and control, but also a booster for the spread of the virus.
Government response and public awareness
The government's response and public awareness are also important factors in the different fates of SARS and COVID. In the face of the SARS epidemic, governments around the world took decisive action and implemented strict lockdown and quarantine measures, effectively containing the spread of the virus. In the midst of the pandemic, governments have had inconsistent response strategies and a lack of unified guidance, resulting in fragmented and unsatisfactory prevention and control measures. Public awareness is also key, as people generally attached importance to personal hygiene and protection during the SARS period, and during the pandemic, individuals did not have enough awareness of the threat of the virus and did not take adequate protective measures, which exacerbated the spread of the virus.
While SARS and COVID are both illnesses caused by the coronavirus, their differences make the pandemic even more troubling. In the future, we need to strengthen global cooperation, improve vaccine research and development, prevention and control capabilities, and work together to reduce the impact of the epidemic on society. Only through scientific and practical measures will we be able to overcome this difficult time that has lasted for four years and usher in a safer and healthier tomorrow.