It took 3,000 years from the appearance of smallpox in the world to the development of a vaccine. It took 13 years for AIDS, 5 years for Ebola, and just 4 months for COVID-19. Seven days after the COVID-19 outbreak was reported to the WHO, all of the viral DNA sequences were identified. The rapid development of an mRNA vaccine in such a short timeframe has never been achieved in human history. This demonstrates how remarkable progress in biology and biotechnology has become. Similarly, the pace of wealth creation and economic growth has also sped up. It is a recent phenomenon in the long history of human life that we now measure time in seconds. We need to understand what kind of world we are living in right now. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Vaccines have allowed people to travel worldwide. Migration and population density are benefits of vaccines. When vaccines failed to curb the epidemic, the “space” ultimately addressed the epidemic. This history is why maintaining “social distance” is essential. Hunting requires one million square meters to secure a person’s livelihood, but urbanization restricts many individuals from accessing such vast spaces. On the other hand, if agriculture can address livelihood needs with just 500 square meters, and its efficiency can increase by 2,000 times, then the perspective on the epidemic reveals insights about civilization. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”