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Before getting into the meat of this series, allow me to make a special request to my online friends; particularly to those of you who participate on the social networks. If you find this series useful and informative, and if you believe that it will be a blessing to your online friends, please consider sharing its URL with your friends as well. Thanks so much! Word of mouth is a powerful thing! Let us continue then.

Over the past few months since the coronavirus (COVID-19) first came to the world's attention, I have seen a lot of comments being made on the social networks, in the comments section on a variety of news websites, and elsewhere. These comments have ranged from those people who are taking the potential threat very seriously, to more laid-back folks who are laughing it off as nothing to worry about. Some people are chalking it up to a hoax being perpetrated by the mass media for the sake of increasing their profits and expanding their viewership/readership. Others are referring to it as just another false flag situation created by the globalists and the New World Order advocates as a means to implement their devious plans for world domination. And yet others are delving into even wilder conspiracy theories regarding the origin of the virus. Quite frankly, it is enough to confuse and frighten anybody.

In recent weeks, I myself have also posted six informative commentaries on my Facebook timeline. In fact, I was in the process of preparing another commentary when it occurred to me that rather than do that, I should consolidate all of the information I have shared thus far, along with the personal comments I have made regarding the current situation, and present everything in a unified format for all of my friends and readers. Thus, this present series will allow me to do exactly that, as well as share my latest thoughts regarding the COVID-19 threat.

The first thing I would like to point out is that the word "coronavirus" actually applies to a GROUP of viruses which can affect both birds and mammals, including human beings. It is NOT just a single virus. There are different strains of the virus which continually mutate. The current strain of coronavirus which has been making the news in recent months has been named "SARS-CoV-2". Furthermore, the disease which SARS-CoV-2 causes has been named "coronavirus disease 2019", which is abbreviated as "COVID-19".

One reason why I mention this point regarding "coronavirus" being the name of a group of viruses, is because currently, a lot of people are being misled by erroneous information which is being circulated on the web regarding a well-known cleaning and disinfectant product known as "Lysol". The problem is that because the word "coronavirus" appears on a can of Lysol, some people are claiming that the current strain of coronavirus is not new, and that we are being lied to. They are in fact using this point to add legitimacy to and propagate their misguided conspiracy theories, which are helping no one, and which only serve to generate fear and paranoia.

However, what they fail to understand is that what is now spreading across the world is actually a new strain of the virus. That is precisely why it is called novel coronavirus; the word "novel" meaning "new". And, because it is a new strain of coronavirus, there is presently -- March, 2020 -- no vaccine for it as of yet. Furthermore, despite all of the online hype, and the boasts which are being made by some nations and medical facilities regarding creating a vaccine, from everything I've read to date, a safe, effective vaccine won't be available for at least six to eighteen months. Why so long? Because any new vaccine must undergo extensive test phases to determine its efficacy and safety to the public. In the meantime, we all just have to do whatever we can to remain safe, by taking common sense precautions and engaging in healthy practices.

One of the first questions that most people will want to be answered is how they will know whether or not they have been infected by coronavirus disease 2019, a.k.a. COVID-19. The CDC -- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA -- explains that "Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death." Furthermore, they state that the following symptoms may appear in an infected person two to fourteen days after first being exposed to the current strain of coronavirus:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

According to online sources, the following additional info regarding COVID-19 was provided by an unnamed doctor who worked in the Shenzhen Hospital in Guangdong Providence, China. This information appears to be verified by multiple websites. This doctor states that an infected person will display the following symptoms. Please note that I have edited and expanded his comments to some degree in order to make them more readable to English speakers. I have also added a few of my personal comments based on other material I have read online:

1. The coronavirus first infects the throat. As such, as occurs with any other cold or flu, you will have a sore throat which will last for three or four days. At this point, you won't even know that it is specifically the COVID-19 disease.

2. The virus then blends into a pus-like nasal fluid that enters the trachea -- a.k.a. the windpipe -- and then the bronchial tubes which feed air into your lungs. This will result in pneumonia developing. This takes an additional five or six days to occur.

3. Once pneumonia sets in, it will be accompanied by a high fever, as well as by noticeable difficulty in breathing.

4. The nasal congestion is different from what you would experience with a normal cold or regular strain of the flu. You will in fact feel like you are drowning due to the build-up of fluid/pus in the nodes of your lungs. At this point, it is imperative that you seek immediate medical attention.

This same Chinese doctor also provided the following info which explains the difference between a regular cold or flu and COVID-19. Also included below are some helpful tips and preventative measures which can be taken so that a person can hopefully avoid coming in contact with this strain of the coronavirus:

1. If you have a runny nose and sputum -- a mixture of saliva and mucus coughed up from the respiratory tract -- you have a common cold, and not COVID-19. Please note that I have seen a few contrary opinions which state that this is not always the case.

2. In contrast, coronavirus-associated pneumonia consists of a dry cough which is NOT accompanied by a runny nose. Again, there have been a few contradictory opinions regarding this particular point.

3. The novel coronavirus is not heat-resistant. As such, it will be killed when exposed to a temperature of just 26 to 27 degrees Centigrade, or 78 to 89 degrees Fahrenheit . It also hates direct sunlight, so soak in some sun if you can.

4. If a coronavirus-infected person sneezes, it takes about ten feet before the droplets fall to the ground and are no longer airborne. My personal physician confirmed this point to me when I last saw him in February of this present year.

5. If the droplets fall on a metal surface, they will live for at least twelve hours. So if you come into contact with any metal surface, wash your hands thoroughly as soon as you can with a bacterial soap, if one is available.

6. On fabric, the coronavirus can survive for approximately six to twelve hours. Normal laundry detergent will kill it.

7. Drinking warm water is effective against all viruses, so keep up your water intake so that your body remains properly hydrated at all times. However, try not to drink liquids which contain ice. To reiterate, drink plenty of water!

8. Wash your hands frequently, being as the coronavirus can only live on your hands for five to ten minutes. However, please note that a lot can happen during that brief period. For example, you may rub your eyes, pick your nose, place your fingers near or in your mouth, etc. It is also a good idea to constantly have alcohol-based hand swipes on hand in case soap and water are not available.

9. It is also smart to gargle frequently as a preventative measure. A simple solution of salt in warm water will suffice.

10. If for some unavoidable reason you are forced to be out amongst large groups of people, such as at your place of work, in hospitals or clinics, on buses, subways, planes or trains, or in similar situations, wear a well-fitting face mask, also known as a respirator. Be aware of the fact that many respirators are not reusable, and must be discarded after a certain number of hours. This can quickly cut into your pocketbook, given how expensive high quality masks have become in recent months.

Yes, it is sad to say that certain unscrupulous individuals and companies won't hesitate to take financial advantage of people's suffering in situations such as this. Price-gauging has already become rampant, and face masks are becoming more and more difficult to find. If you are unable to obtain any respirators and find yourself needing to cough or sneeze, at the very least, do it in a handkerchief or in a tissue. If you do not have one available, then cough or sneeze in the crook of your arm in order to mitigate the spread of the droplets in the surrounding air.

Regarding COVID-19 symptoms, please notice that I said "may appear". You see, that is precisely the problem, because a lot of infected people are asymptomatic. This means that even though they may be carrying the virus in their bodies, they may never display any of the usual outward symptoms. The end result is that they could potentially infect tens, dozens or even hundreds of people for weeks or longer, and not even realize that they are COVID-19 carriers. This point is of great concern to medical professionals and facilities all around the world. It is in fact one of the primary ways in which COVID-19 has been able to spread so rapidly around the world, from one nation -- China -- barely three months ago, to over one hundred countries as of this writing.

In short, the SARS-CoV-2 virus basically sneaks into nations undetected, unless a country is well prepared to carefully examine every single individual who crosses their border. At this current time, most countries are not capable of doing this. Furthermore, if we consider how porous some national borders are, it pretty much becomes an impossible task to test everyone. Infected people will get through one way or another.

This leads us to our next point. In addition to the fact that there are so many individuals who remain asymptomatic, the reality is that there currently exists only a limited number of COVID-19 test kits and laboratories which are even authorized to perform the required tests. Obviously, this compounds the problem even further. In fact, a recent Time Magazine article stated that prior to the end of February, 2020, in the United States, only two labs which are operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- or CDC -- and a few other state labs, were authorized to test for the coronavirus. While the situation has improved since that time because the CDC has loosened up its requirements, it still remains quite dismal and inadequate compared to what other nations around the world are able to accomplish, insofar as COVID-19 lab testing is concerned.

I was also reading that some American doctors have called the current situation regarding COVID-19 testing an outright embarrassment, due to the fact that the United States is one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world. How could the CDC and other health-related institutions drop the ball in this manner? In fact, according to online info, initially, the CDC was being so stringent in regard to its testing requirements, that even though certain individuals met all of the symptoms for having COVID-19, they were still not tested, because they had not recently visited a foreign country, or been exposed to an individual who had visited a foreign nation.

According to the latest news reports -- from both liberal as well as conservative news sources -- despite the fact that President Trump has stated that any person who desires to be tested will be tested, this still is not actually happening due to the stringent testing requirements, the shortage of labs, and the shortage of test kits. In fact, in an exchange before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Doctor Anthony Fauci -- who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases -- stated the following:

----- Begin Quote -----

"The system is not really geared to what we need right now, what you are asking for. That is a failing. It is a failing. I mean, let's admit it . . . The idea of anybody getting it [ meaning a test] easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we are not set up for that. Do I think we should be? Yes. But we are not."

----- End Quote -----

Given the current dismal situation in regard to testing, and until it actually improves, as President Trump promised it would in his national emergency declaration speech, let me put this into proper perspective for you. In a word, with an American population of more than three hundred million citizens, it will take a very long time to test all of the people who may still require testing. As such, I would not hold my breath if I were you.

Directly related to this is another issue which I discovered a few days ago while scanning my Facebook news feed. I came across a post in which one of my friends stated that certain German doctors are claiming that wearing face masks -- or respirators, as they are called in the medical profession -- is pointless. Their recommendation was for one to simply wash their hands continuously. In fact, as I dug deeper into this issue, I discovered that other doctors and health-related institutions in other countries were recommending the very same thing, including in the United States.

Well, when I read that piece of advice, I have to say that my jaw dropped in disbelief. While I am no conspiracy theorist, I have to say that it almost sounds like some of those folks actually WANT us to get sick. If I were a conspiracy theorist, I might even begin to think that this is some kind of crazy population control scheme. I considered that perhaps my friend had simply misunderstood, being as English is not her native language, or German, for that matter. But as I said, it turned out to be true. In fact, one of the reasons which has been given for making this suggestion is that at this current time, due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 disease, there is a serious shortage of medical supplies, such as test kits and face masks.

In short, they want us regular folks to stop purchasing the masks, so that there are enough to go around for the medical professionals who need them in order to be able to safely treat the sick. While that seems reasonable enough, there is another way of looking at this, and that is this: If I wear a respirator in order to prevent myself from becoming infected with the coronavirus, then I will have no need to visit my doctor to begin with. Not only that, but even the current COVID-19 literature makes it clear that some people are more vulnerable to the virus than others. This is particularly true of the elderly, and people who have underlying medical conditions.

Well, in my case, I qualify to wear a respirator in several ways. First of all, yes, I am elderly, being in my late 60s. Second, I also have underlying serious medical conditions. For example, since 2017, I have been hospitalized twice for DVT -- or Deep Vein Thrombosis -- and for Acute Bilateral Pulmonary Emboli. In layman's terms, this means that I have had multiple blood clots form in my legs, which have then broken off and traveled to every node of my lungs. This is a very dangerous, life-threatening situation; because if a blood clot reaches my heart, or my brain, it can kill me on the spot. As a result, I am now forced to take a daily dose of Warfarin -- a.k.a. Coumadin -- for the rest of my life. Warfarin is an anticoagulant, or blood thinner, as such drugs are commonly known.

I am also concerned about my daughter. She has a compromised immune system, and has been a Type 1 diabetic for just under twenty years now. Likewise, my granddaughter suffers from certain allergies as well. Are these medical professionals trying to tell me that we have to forego wearing respirators so they can have more for themselves? In my view, the real solution here isn't to rob Peter to pay Paul, it's to simply start manufacturing a lot more face masks, which is exactly what a number of countries are now doing.

Yet still, in my personal opinion, this situation regarding the respirator shortage makes a very loud statement, and that is this: Despite how many times the world has been threatened by different deadly viruses and contagions in recent decades, it is evident that national governments, global and national health care institutions, hospitals and clinics, and doctors of various persuasions are still not prepared for the "Big One". I am of course referring to a superbug which will kill millions of people across the globe, similar to the deadly 1918 influenza pandemic, which is commonly referred to as the Spanish flu. The Wikipedia website notes the following regarding the 1918 Spanish flu:

----- Begin Quote -----

"It infected 500 million people around the world, or about 27% of the then world population of between 1.8 and 1.9 billion, including people on isolated Pacific islands and in the Arctic. The death toll is estimated to have been anywhere from 17 million to 50 million, and possibly as high as 100 million, making it one of the deadliest epidemics in human history."

----- End Quote -----

Ironically, while in our modern day China has thus far been one of the nations most devastated by SARS-CoV-2, during the Spanish flu of 1918, it was one of the countries least affected, for reasons which remain hypothetical at best. At any rate, as I told my Facebook friend, insofar as not wearing face masks is concerned, I most certainly disagree with those doctors' advice. Furthermore, I think that it is both ludicrous and irresponsible for any medical professional to convey such a message to the public. We have a right to be protected just as much as they do. Or is this yet another manifestation of the haves versus the have-nots, the rich versus the poor, and the elite versus the oppressed working class?

Now, to add a degree of balance to my previous statement, I will say that if they are cheap, loose-fitting face masks, such as you might find at a dentist's office, then, yes, I would tend to agree with them when they say that the masks probably offer very little real protection from the current strain of the coronavirus which is obviously quite virulent. At the same time, while I am not a medical professional by any means, in my opinion, common sense dictates that a high-quality, good-fitting respirator, in conjunction with washing one's hands regularly, eating properly, resting properly, avoiding large crowds if at all possible, etc., is the best approach to take to remaining free of the current strain of the coronavirus. Let me also add that if you are using face masks, it is important to remember to keep your hands away from your face while wearing one. Likewise, when you go to dispose of a used respirator, be very careful how you handle it, being as it may be laden with the virus you are trying to avoid.

Also of interest is the fact that one reason why the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has grown so rapidly in recent weeks and days is because more tests are now being conducted. Not just by the United States, but by other nations as well. As a result, what we currently know regarding the extent of the novel coronavirus pandemic may still just be the tip of the ice berg. In other words, the more testing that is done, the bigger the problem becomes as more confirmed cases are revealed. Thus, it is no surprise that medical professionals around the world -- including in the United States -- are now warning that we should expect to see a spike in the number of cases as the weeks and months progress. New hot spots will continue to appear on the global map. In fact, just in the time that it has taken me to write this series over the past few days, I have had to change the statistics I include in it multiple times, because the numbers just keep rising, sometimes by the hour.

Another point worth mentioning is the fact that we may never know the actual mortality rate of COVID-19, due to the fact that there is now information on public record that a number of people have died from it, before the coronavirus was even identified as the cause of their death. In other words, such people were misdiagnosed, and were thought to have died from influenza. However, a posthumous examination revealed that such people had actually died from COVID-19. This point was revealed during a House Oversight Committee hearing on March 11, 2020 in an exchange between U.S. Representative Harley Rouda (D-Calif.) and Dr. Robert Redfield, who is the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In that discussion, Rouda asked Redfield if it was possible that certain flu patients could have been misdiagnosed with influenza, when in reality they had died from COVID-19. Dr. Redfield responded "The standard practice is the first thing you do is test for influenza, so if they had influenza they would be positive." Rep. Rouda then inquired if they were conducting posthumous testing, to which Redfield responded that there has been "a surveillance system of deaths from pneumonia, that the CDC has. It's not in every city, every state, every hospital." Rep. Rouda then pressed Dr. Redfield further and asked him "So we could have some people in the United States dying for what appears to be influenza, when in fact it could be the coronavirus?" Redfield answered in the affirmative stating that "some cases have actually been diagnosed that way in the United States today." While it is water under the bridge, the point remains that due to this unintentional oversight, we may never have a truly accurate figure regarding the total number of deaths which are/were caused by the coronavirus.

So exactly where does the world stand at this point in time? The following COVID-19 pandemic stats make it rather clear. Be advised that the accuracy of the figures below is based on two things:

1. The honesty and accuracy of the governments and health institutions which are submitting these statistics to the global database.

2. The level of testing which is being conducted by each nation which contributes statistics to this list.

Having said that, because some nations have been very slow to conduct tests, and/or have a very limited number of test kits in their possession, it is most probable that the figures listed below are far below reality. In short, the more tests each nation conducts, the more accurate these statistics will become over time. However, they will never be completely accurate due to these and a variety of other reasons.

CORONAVIRUS LATEST STATISTICS

Last Updated On: Saturday, February 27, 2021
Last Updated At: 01:24 PM ChST (Chamorro Standard Time/GMT+10)
Total Countries Infected: 192

Nations With 1000+ Confirmed Cases:

Note: To see a complete list, please go to https://www.billkochman.com/covid-19.html

Country	Confirmed	Active	Deaths	Recovered
Total	113,375,335	46,932,969	2,515,896	63,926,470
USA	28,484,429	27,974,106	510,323	None
India	11,063,491	155,986	156,825	10,750,680
Brazil	10,455,630	922,787	252,835	9,280,008
Russia	4,175,757	350,799	83,900	3,741,058
United Kingdom	4,175,315	4,041,088	122,648	11,579
France	3,746,707	3,399,320	85,738	261,649
Spain	3,188,553	2,969,035	69,142	150,376
Italy	2,888,923	404,664	97,227	2,387,032
Turkey	2,683,971	98,754	28,432	2,556,785
Germany	2,436,506	126,155	69,750	2,240,601
Colombia	2,244,792	43,400	59,518	2,141,874
Argentina	2,098,728	154,007	51,887	1,892,834
Mexico	2,069,370	265,670	183,692	1,620,008
Poland	1,684,788	235,883	43,353	1,405,552
Iran	1,615,184	175,363	59,899	1,379,922
South Africa	1,510,778	34,577	49,784	1,426,417
Ukraine	1,381,273	148,244	27,146	1,205,883
Indonesia	1,322,866	158,408	35,786	1,128,672
Peru	1,308,722	52,070	45,903	1,210,749
Czechia	1,212,780	137,698	19,999	1,055,083
Netherlands	1,093,899	1,063,943	15,626	14,330
Canada	866,735	30,261	21,915	814,559
Chile	816,929	23,578	20,400	772,951
Portugal	802,773	72,037	16,243	714,493
Romania	795,732	39,479	20,233	736,020
Israel	770,780	39,356	5,697	725,727
Belgium	763,885	741,879	22,006	None
Iraq	688,698	45,155	13,365	630,178
Sweden	657,309	644,483	12,826	None
Pakistan	577,482	22,285	12,804	542,393
Philippines	571,327	34,498	12,247	524,582
Switzerland	554,932	227,371	9,961	317,600
Bangladesh	545,424	41,531	8,395	495,498
Morocco	482,994	5,999	8,608	468,387
Austria	454,860	19,088	8,515	427,257
Serbia	453,240	448,826	4,414	None
Japan	429,860	15,614	7,818	406,428
Hungary	419,182	86,488	14,795	317,899
United Arab Emirates	385,160	6,425	1,198	377,537
Jordan	383,912	35,422	4,650	343,840
Saudi Arabia	376,723	2,549	6,483	367,691
Lebanon	369,692	80,032	4,610	285,050
Panama	339,781	9,125	5,820	324,836
Slovakia	303,420	41,154	6,966	255,300
Malaysia	295,951	27,994	1,111	266,846
Belarus	284,500	7,800	1,957	274,743
Ecuador	282,599	28,069	15,713	238,817
Nepal	273,984	936	2,771	270,277
Georgia	270,137	2,605	3,485	264,047
Kazakhstan	260,384	20,470	3,160	236,754
Bolivia	246,822	44,164	11,577	191,081
Bulgaria	245,627	32,005	10,128	203,494
Croatia	242,097	3,046	5,503	233,548
Dominican Republic	238,205	45,960	3,082	189,163
Azerbaijan	233,989	2,297	3,213	228,479
Tunisia	231,964	27,077	7,942	196,945
Ireland	218,251	190,587	4,300	23,364
Denmark	210,900	6,328	2,354	202,218
Costa Rica	204,341	24,442	2,800	177,099
Lithuania	196,690	11,202	3,225	182,263
Kuwait	189,046	10,841	1,072	177,133
Slovenia	188,676	12,948	3,823	171,905
Greece	188,201	87,998	6,439	93,764
Moldova	183,338	14,551	3,899	164,888
Egypt	181,241	30,724	10,590	139,927
West Bank and Gaza	180,848	13,624	2,019	165,205
Guatemala	173,814	6,890	6,348	160,576
Armenia	171,510	5,162	3,183	163,165
Honduras	168,243	98,719	4,099	65,425
Qatar	162,737	9,673	257	152,807
Paraguay	157,603	22,990	3,152	131,461
Ethiopia	157,047	20,146	2,340	134,561
Nigeria	155,076	20,630	1,902	132,544
Burma	141,875	7,242	3,198	131,435
Oman	140,588	7,342	1,562	131,684
Venezuela	138,295	6,578	1,338	130,379
Libya	132,458	10,792	2,174	119,492
Bosnia and Herzegovina	130,979	10,061	5,071	115,847
Bahrain	121,127	6,886	442	113,799
Algeria	112,805	31,986	2,977	77,842
Kenya	105,467	17,093	1,853	86,521
Albania	105,229	35,466	1,756	68,007
North Macedonia	101,762	7,748	3,119	90,895
China	100,885	490	4,834	95,561
Korea, South	89,321	7,393	1,595	80,333
Kyrgyzstan	86,142	1,618	1,463	83,061
Latvia	84,983	9,304	1,601	74,078
Ghana	82,586	5,419	594	76,573
Sri Lanka	82,430	4,346	459	77,625
Uzbekistan	79,804	849	622	78,333
Zambia	77,639	3,938	1,066	72,635
Montenegro	74,789	8,544	994	65,251
Norway	70,564	51,944	622	17,998
Kosovo	68,451	7,419	1,592	59,440
Estonia	62,830	13,764	575	48,491
Singapore	59,913	81	29	59,803
El Salvador	59,866	2,713	1,841	55,312
Mozambique	58,218	17,799	613	39,806
Uruguay	56,542	6,929	601	49,012
Finland	56,407	15,665	742	40,000
Afghanistan	55,696	3,969	2,442	49,285
Luxembourg	55,110	2,986	637	51,487
Cuba	48,441	4,392	314	43,735
Uganda	40,322	25,372	334	14,616
Namibia	38,424	2,012	418	35,994
Zimbabwe	36,044	2,042	1,463	32,539
Cameroon	35,714	2,569	551	32,594
Cyprus	34,181	31,893	231	2,057
Senegal	34,031	4,797	857	28,377
Cote d'Ivoire	32,478	857	190	31,431
Malawi	31,675	12,455	1,037	18,183
Sudan	30,284	5,543	1,878	22,863
Australia	28,965	5,154	909	22,902
Botswana	28,371	4,817	310	23,244
Thailand	25,809	774	83	24,952
Congo (Kinshasa)	25,691	6,698	707	18,286
Jamaica	22,471	8,827	413	13,231
Malta	21,982	2,582	313	19,087
Angola	20,759	948	504	19,307
Madagascar	19,831	238	297	19,296
Maldives	19,479	2,417	60	17,002
Rwanda	18,689	1,129	258	17,302
Mauritania	17,187	214	439	16,534
Eswatini	16,972	2,081	650	14,241
Guinea	15,894	926	89	14,879
Syria	15,467	4,812	1,018	9,637
Cabo Verde	15,253	353	146	14,754
Gabon	14,564	1,338	83	13,143
Tajikistan	13,308	0	90	13,218
Haiti	12,352	2,426	247	9,679
Belize	12,293	142	315	11,836
Burkina Faso	11,939	393	142	11,404
Andorra	10,822	318	110	10,394
Lesotho	10,491	6,454	292	3,745
Suriname	8,913	352	170	8,391
Congo (Brazzaville)	8,820	1,673	128	7,019
Bahamas	8,519	1,031	179	7,309
Guyana	8,513	373	195	7,945
Mali	8,358	1,653	350	6,355
Trinidad and Tobago	7,704	120	139	7,445
South Sudan	7,597	3,400	90	4,107
Togo	6,730	1,126	82	5,522
Somalia	6,687	2,680	223	3,784
Nicaragua	6,445	2,047	173	4,225
Djibouti	6,062	105	63	5,894
Iceland	6,049	14	29	6,006
Equatorial Guinea	5,957	261	91	5,605
Benin	5,434	1,116	70	4,248
Central African Republic	5,004	21	63	4,920
Niger	4,740	318	172	4,250
Gambia	4,691	454	148	4,089
Chad	3,957	369	138	3,450
Sierra Leone	3,884	1,193	79	2,612
San Marino	3,671	374	73	3,224
Comoros	3,558	159	144	3,255
Saint Lucia	3,356	409	35	2,912
Guinea-Bissau	3,241	596	48	2,597
Barbados	2,994	691	33	2,270
Eritrea	2,847	587	7	2,253
Mongolia	2,831	679	2	2,150
Seychelles	2,592	318	11	2,263
Liechtenstein	2,564	26	54	2,484
Vietnam	2,426	552	35	1,839
New Zealand	2,372	66	26	2,280
Yemen	2,267	206	627	1,434
Burundi	2,143	1,367	3	773
Liberia	2,010	41	85	1,884
Monaco	1,942	227	23	1,692
Sao Tome and Principe	1,745	381	28	1,336
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	1,519	665	6	848
Papua New Guinea	1,228	370	12	846

Based on the available evidence of all the nations which are now detecting one or more confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease -- and with those numbers certain to grow as we move forward -- while the major world health organizations were at first cautious, and initially were very hesitant to even use the word "pandemic", it became rather evident to many of us that this is precisely what we are in the midst of. However, as you may know, with the mounting evidence, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization -- or WHO -- was finally forced to acknowledge that COVID-19 has become a dangerous global pandemic. Furthermore, in the USA, Doctor Anthony Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, candidly admitted that unless world governments quickly contain and mitigate the situation, it could result in many millions of people becoming infected with the coronavirus. Newsweek magazine notes the following:

----- Begin Quote -----

The number of people that are infected with the new coronavirus is entirely dependent on how America responds to the outbreak, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"If we are complacent and don't do really aggressive containment and mitigation, the number could go way up and be involved in many, many millions," Fauci told members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday.

----- End Quote -----

In all fairness, it should be pointed out that nobody wants to unnecessarily create a panic, even though buyers panic is already evident in a number of nations where store shelves have quickly been emptied of basic necessities. So from that perspective, the cautious position of medical professionals and government figures is understandable. Yet still, I must wonder how much we're actually being told the truth at this current time.

As my longtime friends will already know, I am not one for fear-mongering, rumor-mongering, and propagating conspiracy theories. I am very careful regarding what I write in my articles, as well as in my online commentaries on the social networks. I always strive to stick with the facts; both the Biblical facts, as well as the facts when it concerns some secular event. But as I am sure many of you have seen, until very recently, there appeared to be a concerted campaign to convince us that this COVID-19 pandemic is not really any worse than the viruses and flu strains which afflict people every year. At least that was the case.

As I said a moment ago, mounting evidence has forced public government and health officials to alter their story. Even the American president was singing that same tune, and was contradicting the statements which were being put out by the CDC and the WHO. In short, certain individuals and entities were purposely downplaying the current situation, and that just raised my personal suspicions even more. However, with thousands of confirmed cases in the United States, including many deaths in Washington state, it was simply no longer possible to downplay the severity of what is going on. Thus, on March 14 -- our local time -- President Trump declared a national emergency in order to more effectively fight against the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.

Like many of you, when it comes to national governments, I take everything they say -- and what the mass media says -- with a grain of salt. Yes, I have a trust issue. But let me ask you something. Should we just listen to what they say, or should we look more carefully at what they are actually doing at this current time? Now, if we do the latter, then insofar as the COVID-19 disease is concerned, there seemed to be a wide gap between what we were initially being told, and what is actually being done by different nations around the world. For example, on March 13th, Fox News reported the following:

----- Begin Quote -----

The U.S. Capitol and nearby congressional office buildings are being closed to the general public over coronavirus concerns, with Congress announcing Thursday that it is allowing access only to lawmakers, staff, press and official business visitors.

----- End Quote -----

In addition to the above, President Trump has now blocked all human traffic coming from twenty-six European nations. Even before the American government did this, there were clear signs that the world was already in serious trouble. For example, about a week ago, Moon Jae-in -- who is the current president of South Korea -- put his country on the highest possible alert in its fight against the coronavirus. By so doing, he empowered his government to lock down entire cities, and to take certain other sweeping measures in order to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. And with good reason. As we saw earlier, South Korea is reporting many thousands of confirmed cases, and quite a few deaths, and those numbers are continuing to rise by the day.

South Korea is not alone. Following China's example, other countries have also begun to take similar measures. They are locking down entire cities and regions where the coronavirus has surfaced. Some countries have temporarily closed their borders with other nations which have also been affected by COVID-19. As you have probably already heard, both Europe and the Middle East are on high alert. For example, in the United Kingdom, they have reportedly drafted plans to shut down the House of Commons as well as the House of Lords until September of this current year, in an attempt to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a parliamentary insider.

In addition to the above, some nations are calling back and quarantining their citizens if they have been in an affected country. Hundreds of international flights have already been canceled. In some countries, school systems are being closed for a month. Likewise, certain large companies have begun to encourage their employees to start working from home for the time being. A lot of public events are also being canceled. Large public gatherings are likewise being prohibited.

Please go to part two for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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