9 time more cases reported outside China
Sorry?
Since December 2019
the novel coronavirus has spread all over the world
causing panic
sickness
severe drops and global economies
racism
and many deaths
Today we're going to talk about this deadly virus
Because so many of you guys have been asking me
to make a video on it for a long time now
especially since I live in Hong Kong
and I've kind of stayed silent on the matter
mostly because I avoid these types of topics
because I feel like I don't have anything of importance to add to the conversation
that scientists or doctors haven't already and
I just feel I feel really nervous to make it
even now that I'm doing it
even though I have like papers here with points I want to cover
but I feel like it's really hard to cover everything
What if I miss something
what if I'm wrong about something
because it's so new and keeps changing
I don't know
so just note the date below things could change
but I figured that I could at least tell you what life has been like
and give you my opinion and my recommendations
It's not to say that you should do this yourself
please always look to your local health authorities and
WHO for information
since hong kong was one of the first places that it really broke out
and the situation has really been minimized by the efforts of hong kong people
I feel like other countries can learn a lot from the steps
and the precautions we've taken here
So if this video offers you any good advice
or maybe pushes you to do more research
or gives you a little bit of comfort
and helps you calm down a bit then
It's definitely worth it.
And I feel like this is probably something I should do more often
and I should be giving my opinions
I don't know. Maybe this is a start to something new
So in this video I am gonna be sharing with you
What exactly this disease is
how to protect yourself or ways in which I've been protecting myself
and ways people around me have been protecting themselves and
Also what life has been like in Hong Kong recently
through clips I've taken last week
On December 8 2019
a patient who visited the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan
was admitted to the hospital for flu-like symptoms and difficulty breathing
Five days later
his wife who hadn't been to the seafood market
was admitted to the hospital with a pneumonia
making it very clear that something was going on
and it was able to be transmitted human-to-human
then many more cases were discovered
and on January 1st 2020
that seafood market was closed
because it was believed that this new virus was transferred
via the animals being sold there
now we all know that this new virus has been named the 2019 novel coronavirus
or the diseases known as COVID-19
Co for corona
V for virus
d for disease
19 for the year It was discovered 2019
and this name came about from the way it looks
the genetic material is actually encased by this spiky outer shell
That resembles a crown
a crown in Latin is known as corona.
So no it's not named after the beer
Corona viruses are common in certain animals
It circulates within them and is a normal thing
But every now and then it gets transferred to humans
due to mutation changes or increased contact
It was actually believed that
this virus would came from a bat
but that has not been confirmed
The source is still unknown
and there was a video circulating of a woman eating a bat
and people believed that was from Wuhan
but it has been proven that the video wasn't even from China
So that was just a false rumor circulating.
So you need to be aware those thing
I will touch more on that later
But a lot of things in the media are untrue
and a lot of people are portraying things
In a way that they want
learning a lot of hate and panic and just things that don't help anyone at all
All right so what we do know is it's now being transmitted human to human
via water droplets
when someone sneezes or coughs or through contaminated surfaces
When someone sneezes more than10,000 droplets are released into the air
and can reach up to eight meters
when someone coughs
about 1,000 to 2,000 droplets are released into the air
that can reach up to 6 meters
actually even by talking
it is said that you produce about 500 droplets per minute.
So I'm just dropping all over you guys right now
So knowing this and not knowing the exact incubation rate of the novel coronavirus
I've heard anything from 2 to 14 days
I've heard that it's like 5.6 days on average for it to come out
and I've heard that it can take up to 24 days to come out
so there's a lot of people living with it invisibly
which means that anyone could have the virus and
Not be showing any symptoms
So they'll just be going out about living their normal lives
and unknowingly be spreading it amongst many people
This art is the one art we have in our house
all of our walls are empty except for this one
My husband had to put it here
because it's his favorite manga Akira
and something recently has popped up on the internet about this manga
Because it it took place
it was written in the 80s in Japan
and I believe it was first aired on TV in December 1988
I remember that this is when I was born and
in this story
They actually said that in 2019
there would be big protests and Tokyo would be set to host the Olympics
But there's this umm...
They show this sign and under the sign it says just cancel it
There's just a lot of crazy similarities and things happening.
Hopefully the Olympics doesn't actually get canceled
but we're yet to find out
but essentially the writers of Akira actually predicted the future
and that's pretty crazy
I personally believe that Hong Kong that's good control over the situation
And when people ask me if I'm scared about being here right now
The answer is no I'm not I'm not at all.
I think because Hong Kong people went through SARS in 2003
They know exactly what to do
in which precautions to take
and they took them immediately
So right away you saw people going out and buying masks like crazy
wearing them
Practicing really good hygiene
really cleaning around them really well
this was very obvious in the fact that there were no mask available
There was no cleaning supplies available in supermarkets or anywhere
and the prices of them if you could find them went skyrocketing high
now you're starting to see a lot of the products come back onto the shelves
as a shop to restock and
People calm down in the cases calm down.
Okay, so that supermarket wasn't that bad
I've seen a lot of photos and videos where everything is off the shelves
even food like rice and stuff
In general the cleaning supplies were quite low
and there wasn't much toilet paper left
But there's still was some
and there's definitely a lot of food to choose from
There's also a lot of new products to choose from
which may or may not work
It's quite obvious that practicing good hygiene will reduce the spread of illnesses
but what's not so obvious it's the mask thing
Does it work does it not work?
Is there any point in buying them?
For this let's look into what exactly a mask does
when choosing a proper surgical mask and also wearing it properly
These points are key here
the inside filter effectively separates up to nano scale size particles
and absorbs them on its fibers
therefore if you're sick
It will prevent from your water droplets getting out and affecting other people
and then if other people are sick since the outside is waterproof
It will prevent from there water droplets getting in and infecting you
now I realize that people have different opinions on face masks
and whether to wear them or not wear them
and on its effectiveness and
I realized that it's not such a common practice in other countries outside of Asia
when I first came to Asia and saw that
I thought it was really scary and I didn't get it
But having lived here for a long time
I really appreciate it
And I feel like it's very respectful towards other people
in that if you are sick and you do need to go out
You wear one and you don't affect other people
over here in Hong Kong
The Center for health protection advises us to wear masks
Especially in crowded areas and on public transportation
because the population is so dense
that one person unknowingly carrying it could have really fast-acting devastating effects.
There's also the social responsibility to take care of the elderly and then you know compromised
you yourself may feel like you're strong and you could beat this if you got it
but the elderly and say someone with asthma
Would think differently
and a lot of people here live with their parents or their grandparents
So they just don't want to take the risk
Actually some businesses won't even let you in if you're not wearing a mask
But some people in Hong Kong are choosing not to wear a mask
And I know in other countries it's advised not to wear them yet
they're saying it's not necessary
what has been proven necessary is to practice good hygiene
you need to wash your hands really well for at least 20 seconds
because services that you touch outside could get contaminated
and then the virus can enter your body and your organs via your mucous membranes
So don't touch your face.
Don't touch your eyes. Don't touch your nose
Don't touch your mouth
wash your hands or use sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content.
Also, be sure to wash your phone
I think people forget that you're always touching this all day
So this could contain a lot of bacteria viruses
the Hong Kong health authorities are also advising
to practice good draining pipe care
especially if you live in an apartment building
because we had this one case here where someone was infected
and then they were able to infect more people in the building
via the draining pipes
and the whole building had to evacuate
so they're saying that you should add about half a liter of water
to the draining outlets at least once a week
also schools here were immediately closed
and they're not gonna open up again until mid-april I think it is
the day keeps getting postponed
and offices are also closed.
just arrived at Tom's office and nobody is here
So this is actually the case for a lot of companies in Hong Kong
and school are just not going out staying home from work
Staying home from school staying home as much as possible.
And that's preventing it from spreading further
Today is one of those days that I have to go out
because I've left this to the very last minute
I need to do my taxes
taxes are due in March in Canada
so I need to get that done
not only for here but also for Hong Kong
and not only my personal but also my business
So i just have a lot to do that I need to do now
so I'm going to meet my accountant
and then I also need to renew my passport
because that's expiring and I've left that to the very last minute
So I need to go take a pass... I need to go take a passport photo
and then drop off the application at the Canadian embassy
And then I will come back home swiftly.
So upon entering most buildings in Hong Kong.
They have this security check
I think it's in for a red scanner
to scan that you're not well
if they send something
they will basically take you out and quarantine you and check you
there's hand sanitizers everywhere
and then once I got to here
the receptionist actually scanned my head
to to check that I don't have a fever or anything
People are being told to just stay home
and basically self quarantine
which is what I've been doing
I'm used to working from home
but usually I would go out to shoot content
So that part has been a bit difficult
But I've been keeping myself busy.
I have been working on my shop and
cleaning my husband's lego to do flat laze and
Trying out very complicated fashion trends.
How do we think
I don't know how I feel
Maybe this is a bit too much
or is it cool?
I think I should change the pants
Ugh I don't get this shirt
The jeans are a little bit too tight
I think I need something a little bit more comfy looking
slightly more baggier
and now my hair
I I'm not sure if I should wear like a messy undone look
like I just woke up and threw on these very comfortable clothes
or do I put it in a ponytail?
Cuz a ponytail is a little bit more casual and a little bit more me
Alright, I think I'm happy with this
Probably shooting from here would be good
So I realized what it is
I feel like this shirt looks a little bit too boxy for this type of look
I need something a little bit more slim
because I wanted to look effortless but not messy
So I need to find another shirt
found this one in Tom's closet
it's a bit more slim fitted a bit more crisp
Okay, so we're gonna try this again.
I feel like I looked a little bit too uncomfortable
because why would I just be standing in that area?
Like I need to look like I'm about to go somewhere maybe
like I'm about to leave the house
about to step out the door
Go to a meeting or something
and then
I'm just casually like
leaning
Alright, what if I'm sitting here
It looks more comfy
Very comfy and my stiff white blouse and jeans
sitting on a metal cabinet
This is like just very.. This is normal thing everyone dose
Ohh I probably shouldn't have done that
Smells like it's burning
Oh it's stuck oh no
It's been tough
but no, what's what's actually been tough is the amount of racism
I've seen being spread
people are using this as an excuse to just spread hatred
People are getting beat up people are getting things thrown at them
people are being refused of services
People are getting attacked on social media
I can't believe people nowadays are so ignorant
to assume that all Asians are Chinese
and even if they are Chinese
that they come from mainland China
and even if they come from mainland China that
they have that virus
there are so many Chinese people
from all over the world that are even born at different country
the risk of me getting having coronavirus
is the same as any of a non Chinese person in London or in the UK
The virus doesn't choose who would infect
based on race or ethnicity or religion
or anything anyone can be infected and
Even the people inside China with the virus
don't need your judgment and hate right now.
They need your kindness and compassion
More than ever they're dealing with a nightmare right now
There's there's people like they're stuck there and
the hospitals don't have enough beds.
There's stories of people going to a hospital and then being refused of services
and because they don't want to go out and infect other people
They're they're jumping to... They're jumping to their death
There's another story of a Chinese film director called Chang Kai
his parents both got infected and then they went to the hospital
There was no beds left
So they brought them back home
and a few days later they died
but they also infected Chang and his sister
His sister died a few days later
And then he also died
and now his wife is also sick and she's still alive
but in tentive care
But there's just nowhere for people to go
so they're trapped at home
and the whole families are getting sick and passing away
and it's just extremely heartbreaking
and people are just trying to get through this and battling it and
They just really need people's kindness right now
Not judgement not hate not racism
Everyone's trying to do the best they can
and train to be cautious.
Just treat people with kindness
Don't treat them like a walking virus.
Don't treat them like a walking terrorist.
Don't treat them like walking criminal just..
I recently had one act of kindness towards me
that I really appreciate it.
I had to take a passport photo
So while I was waiting for the photo to get developed
I grabbed some lunch at a supermarket
and I went to a nearby park to eat it and wait
and I didn't know this, but I was sitting by a garbage can
and a man suddenly started yelling virus at me
and I was like what
and he was trying to explain that people will throw their mask in the garbage
and it's really dirty and the virus could be floating around
and so he actually picked up my drink
and moved it far away from me
and sat me down in another area and
I thought that was just so kind
he didn't have to do that.
He didn't have to care.
He has moved me to this location
so kind and caring
I didn't even realize I didn't even think about that
a lot of people have been messaging me to ask me
if they should keep their travel plans to Hong Kong or Japan or Korea
and I think if you're traveling to a zone that's high risk
I personally wouldn't do it.
I would postpone my trip
Because to me, it's just not worth it
But you should weigh the pros and cons
If you absolutely have to go there
then be sure to practice all of the things I mentioned in the video
but if you don't have to go there
I would just wait
also once you get there
a lot of things are being closed or cancelled
so you may not be able to do everything you wanted to do
and then when you return home after
you may have to be quarantined
So that may affect your work and whatever else you have to do with your life
So yeah, you do have to consider that
All right, so let's summarize all of this
what I want you to take away from this video
is to stay alert
But don't panic
Panicking will cause you to sleep less
which is gonna affect your immunity
and that's not what you need right now
You don't need to go out and overstock on everything
so that other people can't have it
It's not gonna help anyone
I've noticed that the stocks in Hong Kong have been replenished
So if everyone just bought what they needed
We would all benefit
stay calm
Get enough sleep
eat healthy work out
all of these things boost your immunity.
And also be sure to practice good hygiene
Be sure to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds
use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol
consider wearing a mask
If you're going to a very crowded area
or using public transportation
stay inform from your local health agencies
Try to stay home unless you really need to go out.
Don't be racist and watch Akira
I guess that's all I have to say so
Now, you know how I feel about the virus
Thank you so much for watching.
Stay healthy stay safe
and I will see you in my next video