Is it possible to imagine the modern world without globalisation? As it turns out, it’s not only possible, but that’s how it will be in connection with the coronavirus pandemic - at least until April, as participants stressed during the discussion held on March 17 by the Valdai Club, which was devoted to the impact of global healthcare threats on politics and economics.
According to Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club, the current threat has not only a medical, but also a social, political and economic dimension: we got the opportunity to see a world in which communications have broken down, borders are closed and foreigners are viewed with suspicion.
The main threat of the new challenge, according to Andrey Bystritskiy, chairman of the board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, is real: panic and nervousness. Many of the consequences of a pandemic could be addressed through joint efforts.
Melita Vujnovich, head of the Russian office of the World Health Association, noted that one should not equate a pandemic with death: this term means only that there are a large number of cases and indicates the scale of the threat. In 80% of cases, the disease is mild, and sometimes even without symptoms; 14% of people become seriously ill, and only 5%, mostly elder people, face critical threats to their health.
Therefore, instead of sowing panic, people should take precautions (just wash their hands more often), and demonstrate their solidarity with, and support for, the most vulnerable groups.
Of great importance, according to Vujnovich, are measures taken by the state - in Russia, incidentally, these are quite effective – they include consultations with scientists and private organisations. Furthermore, the current situation makes it possible to understand what can be done now to make it easier to overcome such crises in the future.
However, even now, what Vujnovich calls "health diplomacy" is working at full strength. Moreover, a session of the WHO World Assembly in Geneva is being prepared for May. Melita Vujnović emphasised that the scale of the fear of the coronavirus isn’t proportionate to the scale of the real threat.
