COVID-19 pandemic in Hasanistan

COVID-19 pandemic in Hasanistan
Map of Hasanistan
Disease	COVID-19
Virus strain	SARS-CoV-2
Date	Global pandemic: December 2019 – present Official Hasani response: 13 March 2020 – present
Confirmed cases	0
Suspected cases	1
Deaths	0

The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020 and recognized it as a pandemic on 11 March.

The Hasanistani government has issued statements and passed the Coronavirus Prevention, Mitigation and Containment (CPMC) Act to attempt to protect its citizens and ensure that they are knowledgeable about the necessary precautions to prevent the acquisition or spread of the virus. However, the Hasanistani government has also received numerous criticism, from both its citizens and abroad, regarding its handling and response to the situation. There has also been a response from non-governmental and religious organisations within Hasanistan. No confirmed or suspected cases have been reported among Hasanistani citizens.

Background

COVID-19

Main article: Coronavirus disease 2019

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Common symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Other symptoms may include muscle pain, sputum production, diarrhea, sore throat, loss of smell and abdominal pain. The virus is spread mainly through close contact and via respiratory droplets produced when people cough or sneeze. Respiratory droplets may be produced during breathing but the virus is not generally airborne. People may also contract COVID-19 by touching a contaminated surface and then their face. Time from exposure to onset of symptoms is generally between two and fourteen days, with an average of five days.

Recommended measures to prevent infection include frequent hand washing, social distancing (maintaining physical distance from others, especially from those with symptoms), covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or inner elbow, and keeping unwashed hands away from the face. The use of masks is recommended for those who suspect they have the virus and their caregivers.

Spread of the disease and pandemic

The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic first manifested as a cluster of mysterious, suspected pneumonia cases in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, China. A Wuhan hospital notified the local center for disease control and prevention (CDC) and health commissions on 27 December 2019. On 31 December Wuhan CDC admitted that there was a cluster of unknown pneumonia cases related to Huanan Seafood Market after the unverified documents appeared on the Internet. The potential disease outbreak soon drew nationwide attention including that of the Chinese National Health Commission (NHC) in Beijing who sent experts to Wuhan on the following day. On 8 January, a new coronavirus was identified as the cause of the pneumonia. The sequence of the virus was soon published on an open-access database.

On 13 January, the first known case of the virus outside China was confirmed in Thailand, being that of a Chinese traveler. WHO stated it had expected such cases, and called for "on-going active monitoring and preparedness in other countries". The disease proceeded to spread across other countries. On 27 January, the WHO assessed the risk of COVID-19 to be "high at the global level". On 30 January, the WHO declared the outbreak to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, warning that "all countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread" of the virus.

On 11 March, the WHO officially declared the coronavirus outbreak to be a pandemic, following a period of sustained community-level transmission in many regions of the world. On 13 March, the WHO declared Europe to be the new centre of the pandemic after the rate of new European cases surpassed that of regions of the world apart from China.

Cases

No cases or deaths from COVID-19 have been confirmed among Hasanistani citizens. One citizen and their family, who were not citizens, was reported as a suspected case following the development of symptoms on 12 April 2020. The suspected case was confirmed to have fully recovered from these symptoms soon after developing them.