Phone booths, parades, and 10-minute test kits: How countries worldwide are fighting Covid-19

Phone booths, parades, and 10-minute test kits: How countries worldwide are fighting Covid-19 The novel coronavirus is a global health crisis, and the ways countries worldwide are attempting to stymie the disease’s outbreak are wide-ranging. In the United States, for example, many heavily populated areas have enacted “shelter-in-place” initiatives to keep the number of infected people from growing quickly. Businesses deemed nonessential have been closed. Below is a sampling of the ways different countries have been working to protect citizens from the Covid-19 virus. South Korea: One option for Covid-19 testing — which South Korea has made more readily available than most other countries —involves " Public Phone Booths". A hospital in Seoul has installed them around its building to offer easy, quick testing to people worried they may have the disease. The way it works is spectacular: One person at a time can enter one side of the glass-walled booth and grab a handset connected to a hospital worker standing on the other side of the glass. After a consultation, the staff member can stick their arms into rubber gloves embedded into the booth to swab the patient quickly, collecting a sample before the booth is quickly disinfected. The hospital says the seven-minute exam allows it to test almost 10 times as many samples as it could without the special booths. The Philippines: The response to the coronavirus in the Philippines has been highly criticized by experts around the world.The Philippines is struggling with many of the same complications other countries are, like inadequate testing and lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff. But those problems have been exacerbated by chaotic and contradictory guidance from leaders. On March 16, President Rodrigo Duterte announced he would be placing the country’s main island of Luzon — the seat of the capital city of Manila and its metropolitan area — under lockdown. About half the country’s population of 107 million live on Luzon, with 12 million of them in Manila. Italy: Italy, which has surpassed China as the country with the most Covid-19 deaths, is now the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. The problem is not that Italy didn’t respond to the coronavirus. The problem is that it always responded slightly too late and with slightly too much moderation. Now, as the death toll continues to rise, the lockdown measures are only tightening. As of Saturday, the public is no longer allowed to go outside to job. Nicaragua: The public rally, called " Love in the time of Covid-19" saw thousands of Nicaraguans marching, dancing, and carrying signs that explained how the coronavirus affects the respiratory system. Senegal: The country is the home of the Pasteur Institute, a research lab that partners with the World Health Organization to fight viral outbreaks and is the creator of one of the first yellow fever vaccines. And now, the Pasteur institute is teaming up with Mologic, a British biotech firm founded by the guy who developed the pee-on-a-stick pregnancy test, to create test kits that can diagnose Covid-19 within 10 minutes. According to the Pasteur Institute, the kits will be released within three months and will only cost $1 per kit. Hong Kong: One of the first things many dog-loving Americans were told about the coronavirus was that our good doggos were immune to the disease. But recent news from Hong Kong suggests otherwise. On March 19, the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conservation Department (AFCD) announced that a pet german shepherd had “repeatedly tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.” “There is currently no evidence that pet animals can be a source of Covid-19 for humans or that this virus can cause the disease in dogs,” an AFCD spokesperson said. Singapore: The country has the ability to test 2,000 people a day, with 140 contact tracers working with police to outline each patient’s case history. It has also developed a serology test that can determine whether or not a patient has antibodies for the virus in their system, meaning that they may have carried Covid-19 without developing any symptoms for it. Testing is free. Quarantine is mandatory for those who have had close contact with confirmed cases. Tunisia: Among the African countries taking a particularly hard line against Covid-19 is Tunisia. The country reported 29 cases of the virus this past week, and the government instated a public curfew to control the possible spread. From 6 pm to 6 am each day, both police officers and soldiers will be on patrol to ensure no one leaves their homes. The only exception is when locals need medical attention; otherwise, no outdoor activity is allowed.