The proper name of the virus is SARS-CoV-2

Why is no one calling the “coronavirus” by its proper name which is SARS-CoV-2? “Coronavirus” is simply the family group to which SARS-CoV-2 belongs and COVID-19 is the name of the disease caused by the virus (short for coronavirus disease 2019). The name SARS-CoV-2 is also related to the virus named SARS-CoV-1 (or sometimes just SARS-CoV) which was the same virus that caused the 2003 SARS outbreak.


Apart from sharing almost the same name, there are other similarities between the two viruses. As the COVID-19 Wikipedia page tells us in relation to developing a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, “Previous work on SARS-CoV is being utilised because SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV both use the ACE2 receptor to enter human cells.” Also both viruses are thought to have originated in bats. It should also go without saying that both viruses can cause SARS, however SARS-CoV-2 has a lower mortality rate than SARS-CoV-1 but because it is far more infectious it has already killed far more people worldwide.


But why have the nations of the world not learnt lessons from the 2003 SARS outbreak? It must be obvious to everyone that SARS-CoV-2 spread around the world quite rapidly as a direct result of passenger jet air travel. And why had China not immediately closed all its airports and borders to the rest of the world, and why had the nations of the rest of the world not united in closing their own airports and borders to travellers from China? If one country closes its airports and borders to Chinese travellers, as was the case with the USA, it doesn’t work, as all nations have to unite in doing the same. China did eventually closed its borders but far too late and only after it had largely defeated its own epidemic in order to stop virus positive people from filtering back into the country undetected. In failing to close their airports and borders, the leaders of the world must surely be held as criminally accountable for the widespread death and economic turmoil caused?


Further, in this global pandemic it seems obvious that Russia and China are fairing far better that the rest of the world. Russia is even in a position to give aid to the USA and Italy, and China is doing the very much the same. It seems we were ill prepared for this international disaster and that the government bodies responsible for disaster and emergency planning, had completely left a second global SARS outbreak off their lists.

 

I Dunno! maybe China was Pissed about the Trade War and had been planning to Unleash this Virus out of a Bio Lab for Years and because of that been preparing in advance, so they could recover much quicker then the rest of the World, especially the United States. Right now the Propaganda War China is waging is positioning themselves to look like the Heros in this Mess they created ( Maybe! on Purpose ) and the United States as the Villains, especially considering how many of the United States Citizens are seemingly siding with China, because of their HATRED of President Trump. Call me Crazy, but eventually the World is going to be exposed to the Truth in all this. The Chinese Government is EVIL! and the World needs to Boycott them forever. A lot of Americans and others around the World are going to DIE! because of China's deception and if it's ever proved that they purposely did this to the World, could get UGLY for China.

 

Because SARS-CoV-2 is a hassle to both write and say. Coronavirus works fine in practice as long as it's in context as most people in the mainstream aren't going to commonly be talking about other coronaviruses. In casual conversation, it's usually more important that everyone involved in a discussion understand each other than being strictly technically accurate (and this from someone who has to resist correcting people when they say "less" rather than "fewer" ).

Implementing extreme policies in this kind of situation isn't simple, especially on an international level. Like it or not, there is all sorts of silly politics involved at all levels and people will often resist extensive restrictions regardless of how rational they are. Even the relatively mild restrictions in place in various countries are facing complaint and resistance from significant minorities. Pushing too hard too fast actually risks triggering widespread civil disobedience which would do even more harm in the circumstances.

There are some caveats to that perception of course, with major question-marks over the honesty and openness in their reporting and also the fact they're more fundamentally authoritarian administrations they can impose the extensive restrictions regardless of any immediate harm to individuals (especially the poorest and most vulnerable) without the risk of backlash I described above.

I'd also question the idea of China fairing fundamentally better in general. They're just a month or so ahead of everyone else and therefore moving in to a recovery phase. There are still plenty of questions about some of their early responses to the pending crisis, at least as many as there have been elsewhere.

 

I prefer Chikity China the Chinese Sicken, which is growing in popularity.

 

I disagree. The restrictions will only ever be emergency restrictions and will only effect international travel for a short period of time.

It would have been comparatively easy to agree on travel restrictions on an international level in such a situation if our world leaders had bothered to do so. At present, in the current situation, borders are closing and flights are grounded but it's all ready too late. It's like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Again I disagree. Hardly doing anything at all and letting the damage be done and THEN introducing harsh authoritarian measures in a crisis situation, risks triggering widespread civil disobedience, which is exactly the situation we are in now.

 

I agree, but we're both intelligent people considering the idea as an abstract that isn't immediately impacting us now. Regardless of the logical validity of any given policy, the people on the ground who are directly impacted (or fear they will be) will not act rationally. The best policy and the policy that will actually work aren't always going to be the same thing.

I'm not saying what governments actually did struck the right balance, I'm just pointing out that pushing too far the other way would have been potentially much, much worse. It wouldn't have been anything like as easy or simple a decision to make for those involved as you seem to want to make out.

 

It's interesting that an English speaking health expert located in Spain was interviewed today on the Sky News channel and suggested the exact same thing I was saying. He suggested that to stop a similar outbreak happening again in the future the WHO should have powers to force an affected country to lock all its borders and ground all flights, etc.

The only difference is I was suggesting such a thing should have been implemented ALREADY. We had a significant warning with the 2003 SARS outbreak and the risk was there that the same could happen again but with an even more infectious agent.