Finding from Covid-19
May 13, 2020 Covid-19, Corona's woes are still going on. In Japan, everyone says that the peak of infection has passed, and the declaration of emergency is going to be finished sooner or later. However, the future is unpredictable. That's exactly what I wrote on my previous blog. About two months after this "emergency" broke out, the world changed drastically. Things happened one after another, something that was unthinkable just a while ago. However, the author predicted it to some extent. If you read back the blog I wrote just two months ago, you'll see that it's pretty much what's happening.
"There will be no doubt that the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will be postponed for a year or two." At that time, the Japanese government and the IOC were enthusiastic about holding it as planned. "By the time the peak of European infections has passed, the US infection is finally in full swing and it will be more disastrous than in Europe." At that time, less than 2,000 people were infected in the United States, and less than one-tenth that of Italy. It now has 1.3 million people, more than six times that of Italy. The situation has been completely changed.
However, it has become clear that the number of infected people depends on the number of PCR tests and, in turn, the medical circumstances and political decisions of each country. Therefore, it doesn't make much sense to follow these numbers. In particular, it is of little use for the actual situation of damage on a global scale and for comparison between countries. The most meaningful thing is to see how many people have died because of Covid-19. The following is WHO's death toll report for each country as of 12 May. (Number of deaths per million population in parentheses)
US 78652 (239) Italy 30739 (508) Spain 26744 (572) France 26600 (408) United Kingdom 32065 (475) China 4644 (3) Korea 258 (5) Japan 643 (5)
Not to mention the absolute number, there is a clear difference in the number of deaths per million people between Asia including Japan and Western countries of Europe and the United States. It's about 100 times different. In the end, there is still a lot of debate around the world as to whether this is due to the constitution of the different species, the difference in lifestyle and behavior, or another factor.
The author feels that the main factor is the difference in lifestyle and behavior. Europeans and Americans hug, cheek kiss in their normal life. They shake hands even when they first meet each other. This is an instinctive ritual. At a cafe in New York, a pub in London, a taverna in Rome, a bistro in Paris, they are sitting close to each other, eating and drinking while facing each other and spraying droplets. It's worth living for them. The hand towel does not come out. Everyone eats without washing their hands. That's a custom. The restaurants in Paris have very small tables, and the distance between people facing each other is 50 centimeter. And the end is coffee or tea, not green tea. As you know already, green tea contains a lot of catechin, which is rich in immunity, but coffee and black tea have a small amount of catechin. Green tea is bitter and doesn't fit on their tongue.
On the other hand, Asian people do not make greetings that touch each other's bodies even if they are close. It is common to bow from a distance. Japanese people also chat in close proximity at izakaya, but not to the extent that they spit on each other. The hand towel will be definitely served by a restaurant staff. They are quietly sitting side by side and do not speak much when eating. The end of the meal is usually green tea rich in catechins. I think there is a big difference between these customs.