Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: ↑Sun Nov 29, 2020 12:09 pm It's nearly impossible to not have had it imported back in January-April, when Cambodia was one of the only countries who accepted flights from China, and literally the ONLY foreign country that still had DIRECT flights from Wuhan.

xandreu wrote: ↑Sun Nov 29, 2020 12:58 pm I agree with most of the comments that the virus simply MUST have been here for as long as it's been everywhere else. It would be a modern day miracle for the virus to have spread to every corner of the globe yet somehow missed this little corner of SEA.

Which begs the question, why (so far) has it not been as devastating here as it has been elsewhere?

1. The climate? Well, some studies have suggested that Vitamin D has been shown to lessen the symptoms of Covid, and there's plenty of sunshine here, but that doesn't explain why countries with similar climates have suffered much more than Cambodia.

2. Population age? - Cambodia does have a disproportionate number of younger people than many other countries, and they are generally healthier than many western populations, but there are still many elderly people here also. While younger people may not suffer the symptoms of Covid as much as older people, they are still just as likely to pass it on to to those more vulnerable.

3. Lack of enclosed spaces? - There are no public mass transit systems here, which I'm sure have had a major impact on the spread of the disease in other countries. There also aren't that many places where people tend to gather in very close proximity to each other, other than schools and workplaces.

4. The virus just simply isn't as dangerous as we're being led to believe? This is a conclusion that many in my home country, the UK, are beginning to come to. When you look at the actual real statistics and compare it to what's being reported (both by the media and the government themselves) they just don't seem to add up. So much so that back home, trust in the government has never, ever been as low as it is now. People simply don't believe that the measures the governments are taking (national and local lock-downs) are in any way proportionate to the danger that the disease actually poses.

My view is that it's a mixture of all four, but especially the last one. Going on statistics alone, you are statistically less likely to catch Covid than you are to catch it. Even if you do catch it, most people are unlikely to show any symptoms and others may go on to have very mild symptoms. Even if your symptoms are slightly more serious, you are still unlikely to need hospital treatment, unless you are either elderly or have other health problems. Even if you do need hospital treatment, you are still more likely to survive than you are to die.

As I said, I believe the virus has been here for as long as it's been anywhere else. The main difference is that the government simply hasn't over-reacted as much as other governments have.