How is COVID-19 affecting educational set-ups across the world?

Coronavirus disease- 2019 or COVID-19 is the latest epidemic to spark alarm throughout the world. First detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019, it has since spread to multiple countries throughout the world including Japan, Italy, the UK, the USA and Iran.

In the present scenario, it is advisable to know the current impact of COVID-19 and what can be done to contain it. This blog provides some useful information regarding this respiratory disease and addresses the role of online learning in compliance with the quarantine regulations.

What is COVID-19?

The Coronavirus disease is part of a larger family of viruses that cause common respiratory syndromes such as the common cold and SARS. A new strain of the virus has been identified that had not previously been seen in humans. The disease was first detected by the WHO country office in Wuhan, China when they detected a suspicious rise in the incidence of pneumonia cases.

The disease is coined as COVID-19 which is a shortened form of Coronavirus disease -2019 and presents itself as an acute respiratory disorder that especially affects the immuno-compromised, the aged and children.

What should you know about COVID-19?

Here is all the current information about COVID-19. Since the disease is new and information is still coming in, you should consider visiting the WHO and CDC official websites for regular updates.

Symptoms: The primary symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, a dry cough, asphyxiation, body-aches and other flu-like symptoms. There are several reports of other gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Since COVID-19 is essentially a respiratory syndrome, you should act on the first signs of breathing troubles and report to the concerned healthcare authorities.

Incubation: The incubation period of the disease ranges between 2-14 days during which infected patients can start displaying the symptoms. There have been several cases in which the incubation period has lasted for almost 20 days.

Transmission: The disease is mostly airborne, which means it can be transmitted from the infected person whenever they release saliva droplets in the air mid-sneeze or cough. It can also spread through direct touch from infected surfaces such as doorknobs, tables and electronic appliances. It can also spread through the usage of articles owned by an infected person.

Precautions: The precautions for COVID-19 is similar to most respiratory infections such as the common flu. You should ideally wash your hands with soap and water for more than 20 seconds or disinfect them with an alcohol-based sanitizer before you touch your face, take a meal or after a visit to the bathroom. Avoid contact as much as possible from a confirmed COVID-19 patient, crowded areas like shopping centres and concerts and eating unwashed fruits and vegetables.

Impact of COVID-19 on the educational institutions across the world

Since COVID-19 is a communicable respiratory syndrome and can spread through the air, governments across the world are having to resort to extreme measures to contain the epidemic including shutting down schools and colleges. While the number of cases in the UK is limited to 51 at present as per the WHO, the governments across the world including the UK are deliberating on suspending classes at universities and colleges.

This likely scenario can hamper the education of thousands of college students who would be stranded if there are no contingency plans. It can also have detrimental effects on the education systems further down the line.

Where does online learning stand in this context?

Online courses and degrees provide a flexible way of continuing your education in a time where your mobility outside your home could be restricted. Not only can you pursue your studies at your convenience, online learning is also an affordable and effective way of upgrading your qualifications.

If you want to pursue ACCA or AAT qualifications online, then London School of Business and Finance through the Interactive Pro shop can offer you this choice. Click here to learn more about these online programmes. 

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If you wish to know more about the current situation and the government guidance please follow the below links:

Government guidance

NHS guidance 

This article was written by Sweha Hazari and edited by Emma Chadwick.