scholarly journals Àgbájọ Ọwọ́ : An African Moral Theory of Survival in the Age of Covid-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 12-21
Author(s):  
Abosede Priscilla Ipadeola

This paper examines some of the moral questions surrounding the novel coronavirus, the cause of a new pandemic that just hit the world between late 2019 and early 2020. Coronaviruses are highly contagious and deadly infectious diseases, and victims are urged to do all within their power to ensure that the infection is not spread to healthy people. The central questions involved include the following: why should a person suffer and possibly die alone due to an infection that they must have contracted from someone else? Why should they choose to act ethically in the face of impending death? Why should people who have contracted the disease through no known fault of their own choice to protect others from contracting it? In summary, why should a person who has contracted coronavirus act selflessly? When the cure is eventually discovered, why should knowledge of it be democratized in a capitalist world? These are some of the questions that this paper addresses by juxtaposing Hobbes’ argument that human beings are fundamentally selfish with the African ethical theory of Àgbájọ ọwọ́. The paper argues that the moral theory, which enhances survival is best in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 ◽  
pp. 21-34
Author(s):  
PU JINGXIN

Abstract: The danger of the novel coronavirus has not yet come to an end, and new variants have begun to attack the world. What philosophy should humankind’s strategy be based on when human society as a group is fighting against Covid-19, as the pandemic ravages the world? Unfortunately, political leaders of various countries have failed to achieve the overall awareness of attacking the pandemic for a shared future for mankind so far. In the face of the pandemic, mankind as a whole urgently needs to break through the narrow nation-oriented ideology of seeking only self-protection. The International Community should establish a new type of international cooperation featuring the concept of harmony of "all things under heaven as a unity". The international relations system dominated by the power ofwestern discourse is now in a bottleneck. The main aim of this article is to study the ancient Chinese wisdom of "the Unity of Man and Heaven" philosophy and build a global harmonious community. The author argues that the “export” of the aforementioned wisdom must be a priority for Chinese scholars. Keywords: Tao; Unity of Man and Heaven; Novel Coronavirus; Anthropocentrism; Harmony.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-11
Author(s):  
Bin Zhao

Background: An infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus called COVID-19 has raged across the world since December 2019. The novel coronavirus first appeared in Wuhan, China, and quickly spread to Asia and now many countries around the world are affected by the epidemic. The deaths of many patients, including medical staff, caused social panic, media attention, and high attention from governments and world organizations. Today, with the joint efforts of the government, the doctors and all walks of life, the epidemic in Hubei Province has been brought under control, preventing its spread from affecting the lives of the people. Because of its rapid spread and serious consequences, this sudden novel coronary pneumonia epidemic has become an important social hot spot event. Through the analysis of the novel coronary pneumonia epidemic situation, we can also have a better understanding of sudden infectious diseases in the future, so that we can take more effective response measures, establish a truly predictable and provide reliable and sufficient information for prevention and control model. Methods: We establish different models according to the different developments of the epidemic situation, different time points, and different response measures taken by the government. To be specific, during the period of 2020.1.23-2020.2.7, the traditional SIR model is adopted; during the period of 2020.2.8-2020.3.30, according to the scientific research results, it was considered that the novel coronary pneumonia has a latent period, so in the later phase of epidemic development, the government has effectively isolated patients, thus we adopt the SEIQR model accordingly. During the period of 2020.3.31-2020.5.16, because more asymptomatic infected people were found, we use the SEIQLR model to fit. Finally, through a SEIR simulator, considering the susceptible number, the latent number, the infected number, the cured number, death number and other factors, we simulate the change of various numbers of people from the beginning to the next 180 days of novel coronary pneumonia. Findings: The results based on the analysis of differential equations and kinetic models show that through the prediction of the model established in the first phase, the epidemic situation of novel coronary pneumonia in Hubei Province was controlled at the end of March, which is in line with the actual situation. The rest of Hubei province, except for Wuhan, lifted control of the departure channel from 0:00 am on March 25, and Wuhan was also unblocked on April 8. Through the establishment of the second-phase model, it is found that the epidemic situation will reach its peak in mid-February. For example, the quarantine admission of the hospital declined after mid-February, which is inseparable from the measures to build square cabin hospitals in early February so that more and more patients can be admitted. The model established in the third phase shows that the epidemic had been completely controlled by the end of May, which is also in line with the reality. Because in mid-May, the Wuhan government conducted a nucleic acid test on all the citizens to screen for asymptomatic infected persons to fundamentally control the spread of novel coronary pneumonia. Interpretation: Hubei Province, as the center of the initial outbreak of novel coronary pneumonia, people were forced to be isolated at home during the Spring Festival, the most important Chinese holiday, and the whole society was in a state of suspension of work and study. The Chinese government had taken many measures in response to the epidemic, such as shutting down the city, vigorously building square cabin hospitals, and prohibiting people from gathering. At the beginning of May this year, the epidemic in Hubei Province was finally effectively controlled. For ordinary citizens, we should not cause unnecessary panic about the unknown novel coronavirus. Instead, we should fully understand and be familiar with this virus. In addition to the relevant medical knowledge, we should also understand the spread of infectious diseases through appropriate mathematical models. By mathematical models, we can understand the degree of harm of infectious diseases, when to control it, how to stop it, and use scientific views to reveal the original face of the novel coronavirus to the public without causing social panic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Puziol de Oliveira ◽  
Jorge Alberto Achcar ◽  
Altacílio Aparecido Nunes

AbstractThis paper reports a broad study using epidemic-related counting data of COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The considered dataset refers to 119 countries’ daily counts of reported cases and deaths in a fixed period. For the data analysis, it has been adopted a beta regression model assuming different regions of the world where it was possible to discover important economic, health and social factors affecting the behavior of the pandemic in different countries. The Bayesian method was applied to fit the proposed model. Some interesting conclusions were obtained in this study, which could be of great interest to epidemiologists, health authorities, and the general public in the face of the forthcoming hard times of the global pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Nima Norouzi ◽  
Heshmat-ullah Khanmohammadi ◽  
Elham Ataei

The Corona crisis is one of the crises that has engulfed the world and Uruguay and has marked all human beings' death and life. This crisis has many legal, political, social, and economic dimensions and has and will have different consequences in this area. So far in the last two centuries, twelve major epidemics of infectious diseases and fifteen famines, and severe droughts have engulfed our world, but this crisis is "of a different kind." It has been less critical to cover the whole world. Infect millions of people, create new words in cultures, and announce major changes in international relations, politics, law, and the world and country economies. No geographical point is safe from this, and it has a serious impact on human relations. This paper is aimed to study the Uruguayan legal system in the post-Covid-19 world. In this paper, Constitutional, Financial, commercial, Labor, Public, and judicial law is discussed in the light of the Covid-19, and its impacts and strategies to mitigate those impacts are mentioned.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 587-601
Author(s):  
KATHARINA GERSTENBERGER

Abstract Thomas von Steinaeckers Roman Die Verteidigung des Paradieses greift literarische Katastrophennarrative auf, insbesondere Vorstellungen vom ,letzten Menschen‘, und entwickelt sie weiter, indem er gesellschaftliche Kontinuitäten vor und nach der Katastrophe beschreibt. Statt Weltende zeigt der Roman eine deutlich aus der Gegenwart abgeleitete Dystopie. Schreiben über die Katastrophe ist Handlungsmotiv und zugleich Metadiskurs über das Vermögen von Kultur angesichts fundamentaler Bedrohung.Thomas von Steinaecker’s novel Die Verteidigung des Paradieses takes up literary catastrophe narratives, in particular scenarios about the last human beings on Earth and develops them further by describing social continuities before and after the catastrophe. Instead of the end of the world the novel depicts a dystopian society with unmistakable roots in the present. Writing about catastrophe is both plot element and metanarrative about the power of culture in the face of a fundamental threat.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mozhgan Rivaz ◽  
Seyed Mojtaba Kazemi ◽  
Mina Mosallanezhad

The COVID-19 pandemic is spreading quickly. Despite scientists’ best efforts all over the world, there is not a vaccine or definite treatment for it and the novel coronavirus remains a threat to humanity with far-reaching, and in many cases, irredeemable consequences for the economic, political, social-psychological , and cultural aspects of humans’ lives.(1)The quick transmission and fatality of the disease, absence of herd immunity, lack of or inequitable distribution of resources, e.g. Personal Protective Equipment ( PPE), and the existing challenges in the implementation of social distancing result in a daily increase in the number of victims and, consequently, an ever-expanding workload in healthcare systems worldwide. Moreover, the increasing mortality and morbidity of COVID-19 and lack of hospital beds and ventilators have led to healthcare provider’s exhaustion and burnout.(1,2) Healthcare providers, especially nurses are the most vulnerable group in the face of the current disaster. Unfortunately, In the world, many front-line experts have lost their lives.(3)


Author(s):  
Nusrat Mannan ◽  
Arifa Akram

In December 2019, the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, began in China, which has now spread many countries around the globe in a form of pandemic, with the number of confirmed cases increasing every day. With a death toll exceeding that of the SARS-CoV outbreak, 2019-nCoV has led to a public health emergency of international concern, putting all health organizations around the world on a high alert. Here, we presented an overview of the currently available information on the clinical presentation and complication of this virus. Bangladesh Journal of Infectious Diseases, April 2020;7(suppl_1):S54-S57


Author(s):  
Lubana Akram ◽  
Md Harun Ur Rashid Khan ◽  
Asif Iqbal ◽  
Arifa Akram

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has created a large problem to the healthcare system all over the world. “Retest Positive” for SARS‐CoV‐2 from “recovered” patients (COVID‐19) has been reported recently which raised several questions for the COVID‐19 disease. In this case report, we had described a patient who became positive after 1 month from the initial infection with SARS-CoV-2. It is therefore possible that recurrences should be actually persistent infections in which PCR resulted falsely negative during initial infection when he left home isolation assuming himself disease free. The discharge criteria should be ensured for a recovered patient to prevent the relapse or persistence of COVID-19. Bangladesh Journal of Infectious Diseases, October 2020;7(suppl_2):S57-S60


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micael Davi Lima de Oliveira ◽  
Kelson Mota Teixeira de Oliveira

According to the World Health Organisation, until 16 June, 2020, the number of confirmed and notified cases of COVID-19 has already exceeded 7.9 million with approximately 434 thousand deaths worldwide. This research aimed to find repurposing antagonists, that may inhibit the activity of the main protease (Mpro) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as partially modulate the ACE2 receptors largely found in lung cells, and reduce viral replication by inhibiting Nsp12 RNA polymerase. Docking molecular simulations were performed among a total of 60 structures, most of all, published in the literature against the novel coronavirus. The theoretical results indicated that, in comparative terms, paritaprevir, ivermectin, ledipasvir, and simeprevir, are among the most theoretical promising drugs in remission of symptoms from the disease. Furthermore, also corroborate indinavir to the high modulation in viral receptors. The second group of promising drugs includes remdesivir and azithromycin. The repurposing drugs HCQ and chloroquine were not effective in comparative terms to other drugs, as monotherapies, against SARS-CoV-2 infection.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 1198-1201
Author(s):  
Syed Yasir Afaque

In December 2019, a unique coronavirus infection, SARS-CoV-2, was first identified in the province of Wuhan in China. Since then, it spread rapidly all over the world and has been responsible for a large number of morbidity and mortality among humans. According to a latest study, Diabetes mellitus, heart diseases, Hypertension etc. are being considered important risk factors for the development of this infection and is also associated with unfavorable outcomes in these patients. There is little evidence concerning the trail back of these patients possibly because of a small number of participants and people who experienced primary composite outcomes (such as admission in the ICU, usage of machine-driven ventilation or even fatality of these patients). Until now, there are no academic findings that have proven independent prognostic value of diabetes on death in the novel Coronavirus patients. However, there are several conjectures linking Diabetes with the impact as well as progression of COVID-19 in these patients. The aim of this review is to acknowledge about the association amongst Diabetes and the novel Coronavirus and the result of the infection in such patients.


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