You can still study abroad regardless of the coronavirus
Coronavirus? The name sounds very familiar. You must have heard about or seen it in the news. Does it have an effect on your semester abroad? No. We have a solution.
Corona virus and symptoms
According to World’s Health Organization novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a new strain of coronaviruses (COV) that has not been previously identified in humans. SARS and MERS viruses belong to the same virus family. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they can be transmitted between animals and people. The coronavirus is spread through respiratory vapor, like when someone sneezers or coughs into the air around you. The first case was first reported in Wuhan, Hubei province, China in December 2019.
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough and difficulty to breath. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome or kidney failure. The symptoms appear in 2 to 14 days. During this time the virus is contagious meaning it can be transmitted to others even though the person has no symptoms yet.
Novel coronavirus does not stop you to chase your dream of studying abroad .Photo by CDC/ CC BY
How to prevent and treatment
Recommendations how to reduce the risk to exposure to illness are very basic. Wash hands regularly with soap and water and use hand sanitizer. Cover mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing. Close contact with anyone who has fever and shows symptoms of coughing and sneezing should be avoided. Face masks have been sold out around the world, but according to Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, a face mask is actually recommended only for people with symptoms, medical staff and people who need to be in close contact with someone who has the virus, like family members. For others a face mask will not have significant benefits.
There is currently no vaccination against novel coronavirus. The best way to prevent the infection is to avoid being exposed to it. In case you have recently travelled to China or been in contract with someone infected with the virus and get symptoms of fever, cough and difficulty breathing seek medical care as soon as possible. Remember to share your previous travel history with a doctor.
Remember to wash your hands often with water and soap. Photo by Nathan Dumlao / CC BY
What about my semester abroad?
At this moment if you travel to Asia, airports have precautions like thermal screenings for trying to slow down virus to spread, which is a good thing.Flights to China and some other destinations have been suspended by many airlines, but there are still no restrictions when it comes to flying to many countries in Asia.
It’s recommended to follow the instructions of your own country of origin when it comes to traveling. Traveling to many parts of Asia has not been restricted.
You can still study in Asia. Photo by Ciaran O’Brien / CC BY
No need to cancel your semester abroad
We don’t want anyone to miss the chance to study abroad. You can still go to other destinations in Asia! In case your university has cancelled your exchange semester for example in China, Asia Exchange has many other destinations in Asia. We got you covered with tropical Thailand, interesting melting pot of cultures Kuala Lumpur or enchanting Taiwan. How about our newest destination Vietnam? Warmadewa University in Bali and Siam university in Bangkok are willing to accept students on a short notice. Confirm your spot now! We will help you finding a suitable solution for you to begin or continue your studies in Asia regardless of the situation. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!
Bali is an amazing destination to study in. Photo by Sebastian Pena Lambarri / CC BY
Find your dreamstudy abroad destinationhere
Asia Exchange is a Finnish company providing study abroad opportunities inAsia Pacific for students from all around the world. Want to get travel tipsand new blog posts straight to your inbox? Subscribe to ourmonthly newsletter!If you have any questions about studyingabroad, feel free tocontact us!We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
This article was written by our destination intern Noora!
