Coronavirus Update: Global Resolution
July 3, 2020
As we enter the fifth month of the Coronavirus pandemic, there
is still indication of a rise in cases with some zones actually
showing surges. Cases have topped 11,000,000 worldwide with the
United States experiencing a record number of cases in recent
days, totaling around 2,800,000. Surprisingly, southern states
considered nearer the equator, such as Florida, California,
Texas, Arizona and Georgia are showing the most coronavirus
cases.
Many have pondered how long will this keep up ? When will the
pandemic end ?
When referring to world history, it is known the last major
virus pandemic was the Spanish Flu of 1918, which lasted two
years. Depending on man’s intervention, a virus is eventually
subdued by the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation over a course of
time, and that could range anywhere from one to two years. In
1918, little was known how to handle pandemics, and so it took a
period of two years for the virus to finally let go.
Hopefully, with better organization and management of pandemics
in our present day, the coronavirus should be on the shorter
path of perhaps one year, or less.
Some are confused that while they are experiencing the warmer
climate and bright sunshine where they live, they are still
hampered by many COVID-19 cases and imposed by the same pandemic
practices of early March and April. That’s because a
virus-spread is a global issue, and to end the pandemic at any
one location, it is necessary to end the pandemic in the entire
world.
Since the planet tilts at 23.5 degrees to the Sun, when the
Northern Hemisphere experiences intense sun - the Southern
Hemisphere does not. As the seasons pass from summer to winter,
this reverses. Only half the planet experiences intense sunlight
at any given time.
Only half the planet experiences intense sunlight
at any given time.
The tilt of the Earth
causes Summer in one hemisphere while it is Winter in the other
hemisphere.
The factor causing uniformity over the entire planet are the air
currents.
Atmospheric air warms up near the equator and flows towards the
North and South poles. At the same time the rotation of the
Earth causes these currents to deflect laterally, called the
Coriolis effect. As the air currents cool, they descend in a
northeast-to-southwest pattern in the Northern hemisphere and
vice-versa in the Southern hemisphere. They eventually arrive
back at the equator where the pattern repeats. These are
commonly known as
trade winds,
since ships have historically used these winds to aid there
journey. Meteorologically, this is called ‘global atmospheric
circulation’, and describes how air in the atmosphere moves
around the world.
Air currents are affected by the warmth at the Equator
and the Coriolis effect of the Earth's rotation. The
global atmospheric circulation are commonly known as Trade
Winds.
While it appears you may be experiencing the healthy effects of
warmth and brightness from the Sun, there are also air currents
which are constantly moving around the Earth causing the virus
to flow in-and-out of land regions, including warm locations.
Although the virus is thought to be thinning-out in warmer
spots, “jumping-the-gun” and ending quarantine too soon can lead
to a continuation - and even increase - in sickness, and a
possible delay to ending the pandemic. From these “growing
pains’”, it appears the best viewpoint to adopt is how to end
the coronavirus pandemic by a worldwide effort. This implies a
gradual reopening of business throughout the world as
the virus gradually dissipates and thins from the Earth’s
atmosphere.
