Event Analysis on COVID 19 Essay
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial negative impact on the entire globe. The unexpected calamity has impacted communities socially, economically, and politically. The disease has claimed the lives of 3.89 million people and paralyzed even essential services in many parts of the world. The announcement by World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros that infections and deaths from the virus will go on for a long time attracts the need for adaptation. According to the director, people will have to develop a new norm that ensures a healthier, safer, and better-prepared lifestyle. This will only be possible by looking back and identifying the mistakes made and leading to the virus’s massive spread.
China, the origin of the novel coronavirus, is seen as one of the countries that managed to control the spread of the disease by taking the necessary steps even before the first patient’s death. This reduced casualties of the virus in the country and made it easier for many people and businesses to respond fully to their normal businesses within a short period. China’s response to the virus also reduced the second and third wave severity compared to other nations such as India, Italy, and The United States. First, on December 31, 2019, the Chinese authorities took the initiative to inform the World Health Organization about a strange pneumonia-like virus that had already infected a total of 41 people (World Health Organization., 2020). The Chinese authorities acted this way because they estimated that the virus had begun strewing as early as late November. Hence, there was a possibility that there were more infected people in public.
On January 1, 2020, the Chinese authorities locked down the Huanan Seafood Wholesale market in Wuhan, where the virus is said to have originated and transmitted to humans (Secon, 2020). The authorities immediately took action after any discovery relating to the virulence or the spread of the virus. For instance, they canceled public transportation, ensured people wore masks, and maintained a social distance after discovering that it spread from one person to another through contact with body fluids from an infected person, especially saliva and mucus. These measures were implemented even before the Chinese authorities recorded their first death from the virus on January 11, 2020. Event Analysis on COVID 19 Essay The Chinese authorities then started establishing massive temporary hospitals that would admit and take care of any infected persons (Secon, 2020). These hospitals remained full due to mass testing taking place and ensuring that every infected individual was quarantined and given all the needed care to beat the virus. On January 23, 2020, Chinese authorities placed 11 million cities of Wuhan under lockdown. In the following days, the authorities put the entire province of Wuhan under locked which had at least 60 million people. This became the most significant number of people to be ever placed under quarantine in history. These measures first seemed futile, but after a while, they bore fruit, and as the virus spread to other parts of the world and infecting millions, China was healing.
On January 13, 2020, the first covid-19 case outer China was recorded in Thailand, which demonstrated that governments needed to take action before the virus reached its borders. By now, the virus had spread in many parts of China and nations such as the United States. On January 31, the federal government banned people’s entry, including its citizens in China, in the past two weeks (Secon, 2020). Many countries established such measures and allowed people who did not show signs and symptoms of the disease, such as fever, into their countries. Some countries created quarantine centers in every port of entry where all who were entering the country could be quarantined and released after they were confirmed negative. However, other countries, especially African countries and some European countries, were not serious about ensuring that everybody who entered their borders was free of the virus.
Politics and propaganda played a significant role in ignorance of safety measures that would completely curb the virus’s spread. For instance, some spread rumors that the virus was “Chinese hence could not infect other people from different ethnicities or races. This greatly contributed to ignorance of safety measures as many believed that the disease could not infect black people. Others believed that the disease could only infect people in extremely cold environments or during winter. Though the virus was more severe during the cold season, it could also infect people during the hot season or summer (Kantis, Kiernan, & Bardi, 2021). The most serious myth was that the novel coronavirus was a “Chinese virus” created as a bioweapon targeted to the United States. This propaganda was propelled even by former President Donald Trump that made many Americans disregard safety measures such as wearing masks and constant washing of hands. The propaganda also increased racism and discrimination against Chinese and Asian descent, which affected social relations in the country. Countries whose leaders ignored advice from professionals and steps such as china had undertaken severely hit by the disease. For instance, Brazil, where the variants of the virus are still a significant problem.
However, many leaders in the United States were determined to bring the virus under control before it was too late. From February 29 to March 19, almost all States avowed a status of emergency. Other nations in Europe, such as Italy, placed the entire country under total lockdown. On March 11, the WHO professed the virus a pandemic, a warning sign for heightened measures to curb the disease (World Health Organization., 2020). Nevertheless, the virus continued to ravage the world as scientists argued that it would take longer to develop a drug or vaccine against the virus. Event Analysis on COVID 19 Essay
Nevertheless, various companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Oxford announce a breakthrough in the production of vaccines. The firms announce clinical trials as early as September 2020 as governments show commitments to purchase and vaccinate as many citizens as possible (Kantis, Kiernan, & Bardi, 2021). Russia’s Sputnik vaccine become the first success on September 4 after generating a strong immune response during a trial. Russia’s discovery pushes other firms to improve on their vaccines as the country signs deal with some nations to procure many doses of the vaccine. However, some nations, including the United States, decline to use Russia’s Sputnik vaccine and prefer the use of Moderna’s and Johnson and Johnson’s vaccines.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a thorough event analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that the virus is one of the most severe calamities ever to hit the entire globe. However, the virus’s impact could be controlled if nations worked together and prevented the spread of “infodemic.” Unfortunately, the spread, deaths, and social and economic collapse of many nations. These mistakes should be addressed as many nations continue to vaccinate their citizens since the virus continues to be a significant problem despite the vaccination
References
Kantis, C., Kiernan, S., & Bardi, J. S. (2021, June 16). UPDATED: Timeline of the Coronavirus. Retrieved from thinkglobalhealth.org: https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/updated-timeline-coronavirus
Secon, H. (2020, March 19). A comprehensive timeline of the new coronavirus pandemic, from China’s first COVID-19 case to the present. Retrieved from businessinsider.com: https://africa.businessinsider.com/tech/a-comprehensive-timeline-of-the-new-coronavirus-pandemic-from-chinas-first-covid-19/q81e8y2
World Health Organization. (2020, June 29). Listings of WHO’s response to COVID-19. Retrieved from www. who.int/: https://www.who.int/news/item/29-06-2020-covidtimeline Event Analysis on COVID 19 Essay