English philosopher and sociologist Herbert Spencer, the man who came up with the phrase “survival of the fittest, was inspired by Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” when he was trying to make sense of how humanity and society evolve as a whole. But in this age of global pandemic and unprecedented natural disasters, it doesn’t seem like “fitness,” in the traditional sense, is the only determinant of survivability.
Yes, this Covid-19 pandemic puts the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions (heart problems, diabetes, respiratory illnesses, cancer, weakened immune system, etc.) at greater risks than younger and healthier people. As a matter of fact, more than 70% of deaths related to the current health crisis in the State of New York (as or May 13, 2020) come from the elderly segment (65 years old +). And the situation for those with comorbidity is not that far off with studies showing that the death rate (probability of dying) from the virus for people suffering from serious non-communicable medical conditions is 7 to 13% higher than those without these diseases. So indeed, it does seem that the fit is most likely to make it pass this health threat.
But when we start to focus our attention outside the realm of health, we see that the same is not necessarily true. In the hospitality industry, both big and small hotels have been severely affected. While hotels with bigger resources and multinational principals appear to be in a stronger position to outlast this crisis, there are smaller hotels that are showing signs of faster recovery because they are able to adapt quickly and are more agile in making changes to their operations.
Vietnam, a country much like ours, had its first two cases of infection in January 2020. Immediately thereafter, their government sprung into action and implemented the necessary precautions. By April, the country has lifted its social isolation measures but continued to impose social distancing and mandatory use of personal protective equipment (PPEs). And while its economy has been as badly hit as most of the world, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) predicts in its Asian Development Outlook report 2020 that the country will be one of the fastest-growing economies in South East Asia despite the impact of the pandemic.
So perhaps it is not a question of fitness but rather of resilience. Those that are more resilient — more able to bounce back better and faster, will most likely be the ones to ride past through this global health crisis stronger than before.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_of_the_fittest
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/immunocompromised.html
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-age-sex-demographics/
https://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/how-vietnam-sucessfully-contained-covid-19.html/
