Professor Marie Curie was the first woman in the world to receive a Nobel Prize. She was awarded in the field of Physics and later received another Nobel Prize in Chemistry, making her the first person to win the Nobel Prize twice.

Marie Curie is one of the most renowned scientists in the world and pioneered research in radioactivity through her discovery of important substances like radium, which plays a significant role in treating serious illnesses. She made impactful contributions to humanity, never feeling discouraged by obstacles, big or small, and often expressed words of encouragement for humanity to fight against great challenges. She famously said:

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”

Currently, the world is battling a severe outbreak of COVID-19, a great war of humanity that we must fight together globally. It is a time when we can take Professor Curie's words as motivation to gain strength to understand and overcome this deadly disease.

The world has faced severe events in the past, such as the World War II, which resulted in tens of millions of deaths in just a few years. However, the world recovered from this devastation by working together to restore lives and economies successfully.

The global disaster stemming from a severe pandemic was the Spanish flu, which did not originate from Spain but occurred on the battlefields during the final stages of World War I, resulting in the tragic loss of 50 million lives over a century ago.

Considering the world population at that time was less than one-third of today's, the scale of that loss was terrifying. However, it led to a brighter future with the establishment of extensive and serious public health care systems worldwide.

The current crisis of COVID-19 has nearly 200,000 confirmed cases globally, with close to half of those treated and recovered, and a death rate of 4% of all patients (1% in some countries).

While this situation is concerning, it is not one that should lead to despair. The scale of loss is nowhere near the most severe events in the past, especially considering advancements in public health and science that will lead to the discovery of better treatment methods.

The most urgent issue facing the world now is the testing of vaccines that are beginning to be used on people worldwide. With China's identification of the virus's genetic material, extensive screening of those at risk of infection, such as in South Korea, is being implemented. Providing information to prevent infection and data on infections allows the public to take measures to avoid them, along with international cooperation, such as China's assistance to Italy at this time.

China's support to Thailand by sending broad-spectrum antiviral medications, along with experts from the World Health Organization traveling to study methods to combat and treat infections in China to advise high-risk countries worldwide, is crucial. China's ability to reduce daily infections from over a thousand to hundreds, and now to tens or even zero on some days, serves as an important lesson that all countries can learn from.

In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, Thailand was the second country after China to report concerning infections that could escalate similarly. It is widely understood that Thailand receives a large number of tourists from China, exceeding 10 million annually, including thousands from Hubei province, the epicenter of the virus's spread.

Initially, the selling off of Thai stocks by foreign funds was due to a loss of confidence in the Thai stock market, anticipating severe impacts from the virus outbreak following China's lead. However, Thailand managed to keep its infection rate relatively low, resulting in a significant drop in its global ranking for infections. Although we must remain prepared to continue fighting COVID-19, the efforts of public health officials, doctors, and nurses have instilled a considerable level of confidence.

According to the global health security index, Thailand ranks 6th in the world, scoring high in disease prevention, detection, reporting, and rapid response. However, compliance with international standards still needs improvement. Currently, countries with higher scores than Thailand, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Canada, are experiencing much higher infection rates.

Moreover, Thailand's preparedness, despite the global unpredictability of a rapid and severe viral outbreak, is evident in the national 20-year strategic plan, which has been heavily criticized but clearly considers the possibility of such disasters. The strategy for fostering growth with a focus on quality of life that is environmentally friendly explicitly states:

“To develop a system for adapting to new and recurring diseases effectively and comprehensively for at-risk populations.”

This strategic development plan is currently of utmost importance and will continue to be crucial. Thailand must invest urgently and fully in personnel and equipment to address this issue.

The World Health Organization ranked countries' readiness to handle COVID-19 at the beginning of March, categorizing them into five groups. Group 5 is the highest readiness level, while Group 1 is the lowest. Thailand is ranked in Group 4, just below the highest potential group, which consists mostly of developed countries.

Given the urgency and fear surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, it is acknowledged that criticism and attacks on government actions are inevitable in almost every country, especially those facing severe issues, regardless of their efforts.

Although the Thai government's actions have yielded some results, as mentioned, they still face intense scrutiny from the media. In such critical times, we should collectively shift our mindset and replace negative news with constructive thoughts and actions that foster confidence in Thailand's effective systems, which are no less capable than others. We should provide the utmost encouragement to those directly responsible.

Especially for those responsible for public health and the allocation of protective and treatment equipment, creating political conflicts and seeking political gain during such a crisis must be avoided at all costs.

When South Korea faced a shortage of “face masks” in the early stages of the fight against the virus, the government faced severe criticism. However, the cooperation of South Korean society led to positive mutual assistance measures, particularly as they expanded factories and increased personnel to produce face masks to the best of their ability. Thailand should strive for similar efforts.

Unfortunately, in Thailand, we did not focus on such creative collaboration but instead emphasized the shortage of face masks, leading to conflicts and misunderstandings about the situation. Ultimately, this resulted in the replacement of high-level officials who did not improve the situation and led to a significant loss of morale among those responsible.

This is particularly regrettable when considering that if only a portion of Thailand's population of 68 million suddenly increased demand, the current production capacity of over a million masks per day would be insufficient.

Information regarding the export of face masks after they were declared controlled goods may vary among government agencies, and should be accurately considered among agencies before releasing news that could cause confusion.

The beauty of Thai society is evident both in urban and rural areas, where government agencies, private sectors, clubs, and associations nationwide, at both village and national levels, have come together to teach how to sew cloth face masks. They have collaborated to produce them at the community level.

Additionally, special production for monks has been a true example of shared suffering and joy, which should be highlighted and praised as a beautiful aspect of Thai society.

The fight against the pandemic in Thailand may need to intensify as more infected cases are detected. The main threat will come from external sources and continuous contact within social gatherings, events, or various assemblies. Globally, the challenges are likely similar, leading to measures that China has effectively implemented: encouraging the public to act as if they are already infected and to discipline themselves to avoid impacting others, such as accepting the need for self-movement restrictions.

Restricting movement for high-risk groups, such as the elderly, limiting entry and exit from countries and borders, and restricting movement between cities and communities is currently referred to as social distancing. If every individual cooperates, we can better limit the spread of the pandemic. All of these measures are part of the government's ongoing efforts, which are being intensified in line with the current situation.

At this moment, no one can clearly answer when we will stop the pandemic. However, data from Asian countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan provide a glimmer of hope for some level of success in combating this severe illness.

With the trend of slowing infection rates, there is hope that the pandemic crisis in Asia may subside before other continents. Globally, cooperation from various organizations in both economic and social aspects is essential, especially the relentless pursuit of research to discover vaccines for prevention and treatment as quickly as possible.

The good news is that some types of medications are showing positive results in certain cases, but this must be accompanied by efforts to curb the emergence of new cases. Historical data from the SARS outbreak (2002-04) and MERS (2012) show that pandemics were halted before vaccines were produced.

SOURCE: www.bangkokbiznews.com