Impacts of Covid 19
Towards the end of 2019, a virus was reported in Wuhan China. The virus was confirmed to be a form of coronavirus, however, in 11th Feb 2020; World Health Organization stated the official name of the virus as COVID 19 (coronavirus diseases 2019) (World Health Organization). The virus was new and scientists were just starting to learn about. During the first few days, scientists observed that the disease was respiratory and contagious, however, the was not enough and since by 14th Jan 2020 the cases were only 41, a conclusion was made that the virus was not highly contagious between humans and could be contacted from animals. This was just the beginning (World Health Organization). The start of 2020 marked the start of the pandemic phase that the World had not experienced before. By 30th Jan, WHO did situation report that stated that there were 7818 confirmed cases of the virus where 82 of the cases were from 18 countries across the continents (World Health Organization). The virus has been spread mainly by travellers who have been in the hotspots like Asia, the United States and Europe. On 13th 2020, the Aljazeera news house reported that the virus has spread to 185 countries across the globe with only 13 countries without the virus (Aljazeera News). Covid 19 has led to massive cascading impacts especially on health due to the high cases of illness and death. Prevention of the spread of the disease requires people and governments to do adjustments. Covid 19 outbreak and the management and prevention measures affect all aspects of life and it is causing major social, economic, and psychological/health, and political impacts not only in the US but also across the globe.
Impacts on social life
Prevention of coronavirus requires people to maintain social distancing of 1.5 meters. This requirement only has changed how people work, play and learn. Currently, most business has crossed and most of the functioning ones require their employees to work from home. Entertainment functions, events and places have been restricted across the globe. On 16th March, the government of US-issued guidelines to contain the spread of the virus; the public is required to avoid groups of more than 10 people this lead to the closing of schools, bars, food courts and restaurants (Li et al. 2032). Furthermore, travelling in, out or within the counties has been prohibited. Some countries and state have declared a lockdown which prohibits people from going outside of the house unless it is to stock up or perform one form of physical activity. This requirement prohibits people from visiting each; it has led to people staying in isolation. All aspects of social life have been affected. Schools are no longer relying on the traditional form of education that requires face to face meeting. The only options in the education sector are to either stop the school curriculum or adopt other means to maintain the teaching process and calendar.
I can see how empty the streets are from my window. Currently, especially in places with strict lockdown like our areas, you can barely see people outside. To maintain a social life, people have turned to other means of communication and entertaining themselves (Prem et al., 1). Video calls, memes, stories, tik-to videos, live streams have become quickly adopted and have become a major part of life and culture. Artists and musicians are performing from their apartments whether for neighbours or online concerts. Since there is no knowing when the pandemic will be over, it is predicted that this form socialization will be part of the norm. I have become used to talking with friends in Facetime and WhatsApp. Since I do not attend physical classes, my schedule has completely changed. I spent most of my time either on the laptop for assignment or on TV watching. I am always talking to a friend through the day and in my opinion, people are becoming more connected than they were before social distancing.
Health/Psychological impact
The underlying health effects of Covid 19 include the illness itself, and mortality rate. As the virus continues spreading, it is inducing anxiety and fear especially in vulnerable groups like older adults and people with long term health conditions and week immunity. The pandemic and the economic effects have major negative effects on the public’s mental health especially for people who already had a mental illness, or were using drugs. According to a recent survey, 45% of Americans stated that their mental health has significantly declined due to stress and worry (Li et al. 2032). As the pandemic continues, it is predicted that negative effects of mental health will continue to rise especially due to the prevention measures implemented like the closure of schools, businesses, churches, bars and clubs. Although social distancing measures are necessary, many people are exposed to situations that are likely to deteriorate their mental health like job loss and isolation. Furthermore, my anxiety has increased due to continually fearing for my health and that of my loved ones. Currently, sneezing and coughing are not taken lightly as those are the main symptoms of the virus. Tik tok videos are trending imitating these fears and anxieties.
According to research, there is a correlation between loneliness brought about by isolation and negative impacts on mental health. According to the survey, 47% of the respondents in sheltering places reported experiencing negative effects on their mental health as compared to only 37% of those not in sheltering places (Li et al. 2032). Negative mental impacts are high in older adults, adolescents and people with long term health conditions as they are already at risk of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Research has shown that loss of incomes and jobs is associated with an increase in the level of depression, anxiety and stress (Li et al. 2032). Also, it is reported that lower-income people have high chances of being depressed due to worry as compared to high-income people (Prem et al., 1). Furthermore, health workers are at increased risk of having poor mental health due to burnout and anxiety.
Local and global economic impacts of Covid 19
A great negative impact is expected on the economy especially due to disruption of trade patterns. This has resulted in a big loss of employment especially for people who were working in entertainment, catering and retail trade. There is no prediction of when the first phase of the pandemic will be over or whether there is a likelihood of return waves. Most of the government resources are being spent on curing the disease (Barrios and Yael 1). The Covid 19 has resulted in a major cut in international. The death toll for this virus is causing a lot of anxiety in the Wall Street and in markets; it is predicted that this might be the end of globalization, as we know (Prem et al., 1). Consumption of both produced and manufactures products has significantly declined to put most business people out of business. The anxiety is also leading to low purchasing power. In my area, retail business people are experiencing low sale rate as people get used to staying indoors and doing shopping only when it is necessary. The level of consumption for most people including me has declined. Before the outbreak, I was used to eating a lot of snacks and processed food especially due to school and meetings with friends. However, this has changed due to lockdown and I have become more used to eating home-cooked meals.
Impact on political affairs
Covid 19 will shape the future of politics, especially regarding healthcare. The virus has put spotlights on the challenges of healthcare and the weakness of governments when it comes to maintaining public health. In the US, voters are likely to consider the politicians who will support the reinstallation of the Affordable Care Act. Globally, tension rise between countries as each on try to control the virus with their different means (Barrios and Yael 1). For instance, in March European Union countries decided to close down the EU and her territories as a measure to contain the virus. However, the UK government and public responded sharply to this arrangement, as they did not agree on the need to impose lockdown and movement restrictions. Locally, the outbreak has brought disagreements between state, city and federal governments. The sub-national governments responded quickly to the issue however, recently, the Trump government has been trying establishing measures which the state governments are not responding to (Barrios and Yael 1). The major division has been created between governments.
Conclusion
Covid 19 has caused major social, economic, psychological and political impacts. the effects are facilitated by the measures imposed on preventing and managing the disease. The public must practice social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus however; this requirement is causing loss of jobs, capital and increase in mental health issue. Trade and stock markets have experienced the greatest hit as the business continues to cut the number of their workers and another close down due to losses. Covid 19 requires everyone to account for their health and that of their loved ones. there is no telling when the pandemic will be over, scientists predict it might be here for almost two years. This implies that the observed impacts and their magnitude are only going to increase. society and life cannot be the way it was before the outbreak.
Works Cited
Aljazeera News. Which Countries have not reported any coronavirus cases?. available at https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/countries-reported-coronavirus-cases-200412093314762.html
Barrios, John M., and Yael Hochberg. Risk perception through the lens of politics in the time of the covid-19 pandemic. No. w27008. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2020.
Li, Sijia, et al. “The impact of COVID-19 epidemic declaration on psychological consequences: a study on active Weibo users.” International journal of environmental research and public health 17.6 (2020): 2032.
Prem, Kiesha, et al. “The effect of control strategies to reduce social mixing on outcomes of the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan, China: a modelling study.” The Lancet Public Health (2020).
World Health Organization. “Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): situation report, 72.” (2020). Available at https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331685/nCoVsitrep01Apr2020-eng.pdf