How the pandemic has changed the world
The pandemic changed the way most of us lived. We learned have to work remotely or gained new appreciation for human connection And, for the loved ones of the roughly 1 million Americans who died from the virus, life will forever feel incomplete. While the worst of the pandemic may be behind us, its effects linger.
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Table of content :
- Introduction
- Signs and Symptoms
- Impacts :
- Economics
- Supply Heritages
- Arts and Cultural Heritage
- Politics
- Food Systems
- Education
- Health
- Environment
- Discrimination and Prejudice
- Lifestyle Changes
- Historiography
- Religion
- Mental Health
- Conclusion
- FAQ
Introduction:
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is a global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified in an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. Attempts to contain it there failed, allowing the virus to spread to other areas of Asia and later worldwide in 2020.
Signs and Symptoms:
Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Common symptoms include headache, loss of smell and taste, nasal congestion and runny nose, cough, muscle pain, sore throat, fever, diarrhoea, and breathing difficulties. People with the same infection may have different symptoms, and their symptoms may change over time. Three common clusters of symptoms have been identified: one respiratory symptom cluster with cough, sputum, shortness of breath, and fever; a musculoskeletal symptom cluster with muscle and joint pain, headache, and fatigue; a cluster of digestive symptoms with abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea. In people without prior ear, nose, and throat disorders, loss of taste combined with loss of smell is associated with COVID-19 and is reported in as many as 88% of cases.
Impacts:
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic loss of human life worldwide and presents an unprecedented challenge to public health, food systems and the world of work. The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is devastating: tens of millions of people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty, while the number of undernourished people, currently estimated at nearly 690 million, could increase by up to 132 million by the end of the year. These aspects are discussed across many articles:
1. Economic Impact :
The pandemic and responses to it damaged the global economy. On 27 February 2020, worries about the outbreak crushed US stock indexes, which posted their sharpest falls since 2008. Tourism collapsed due to travel restrictions, closing of public places including travel attractions, and advice of governments against travel. Airlines cancelled flights, while British regional airline Flybe collapsed. The cruise line industry was hard hit, and train stations and ferry ports closed. International mail stopped or was delayed. Hundreds of millions of jobs were lost, including more than 40 million jobs in the US.
2. Supply Shortages :
Pandemic fears led to panic buying, emptying groceries of essentials such as food, toilet paper, and bottled water. Panic buying stemmed from perceived threat, perceived scarcity, fear of the unknown, coping behavior and social psychological factors .
Supply shortages were due to disruption to factory and logistic operations; shortages were worsened by supply chain disruptions from factory and port shutdowns, and labor shortages.
Shortages continued as managers underestimated the speed of economic recovery after the initial economic crash. The technology industry, in particular, warned of delays from underestimates of semiconductor demand for vehicles and other products.
3. Arts and Cultural Heritage :
The performing arts and cultural heritage sectors were profoundly affected by the pandemic. Both organizations and individuals operations have been impacted globally. By March 2020, across the world and to varying degrees, museums, libraries, performance venues, and other cultural institutions had been indefinitely closed with their exhibitions, events and performances cancelled or postponed. A 2021 UNESCO report estimated ten million job losses worldwide in the culture and creative industries. Some services continued through digital platforms, such as live streaming concerts or web-based arts festivals.
4. Politics :
The pandemic affected political systems, causing suspensions of legislative activities, isolations or deaths of politicians, and rescheduled elections. Although they developed broad support among epidemiologists, NPIs (non-pharmaceutical interventions) were controversial in many countries. Intellectual opposition came primarily from other fields, along with heterodox epidemiologists.
5. Food Systems :
The pandemic disrupted food systems worldwide, hitting at a time when hunger and undernourishment were rising- an estimated 690 million people lacked food security in 2019. Food access fell – driven by falling incomes, lost remittances, and disruptions to food production. In some cases, food prices rose. The pandemic and its accompanying lockdowns and travel restrictions slowed movement of food aid. According to the WHO, 811 million people were undernourished in 2020, "likely related to the fallout of COVID-19".
6. Education :
The pandemic impacted educational systems in many countries. Many governments temporarily closed educational institutions, often replaced by online education. Other countries, such as Sweden, kept their schools open. As of September 2020, approximately 1.077 billion learners were affected due to school closures. School closures impacted students, teachers, and families with far-reaching economic and societal consequences. They shed light on social and economic issues, including student debt, digital learning, food insecurity, and homelessness, as well as access to childcare, health care, housing, internet, and disability services. The impact was more severe for disadvantaged children. The Higher Education Policy Institute reported that around 63% of students claimed worsened mental health as a result of the pandemic.
7. Health :
The health impact of COVID-19 has been devastating. By mid-October 2021, 240 million people had contracted the virus with nearly 4.9 million dying from it. Moreover, millions of survivors suffer from long-lasting symptoms that prevent a return to normal life. Mental distress has increased substantially. There has also been a clear social gradient to the risk of infection and death from the virus. Furthermore, COVID-19 has disrupted health care for people with other needs. For example, cancer screening was frequently delayed, non-urgent surgeries postponed, emergency department use dropped, and waiting times for elective surgeries increased. Nevertheless, vaccinations have been a game changer in 2021, reducing the risk of severe illness and death. However, vaccination hesitancy among some population groups and waning vaccine effectiveness are an ongoing challenge.
8. Environment :
The pandemic and the reaction to it positively affected the environment and climate as a result of reduced human activity. During the "anthropause" fossil fuel use decreased, resource consumption declined, and waste disposal improved, generating less pollution. Planned air travel and vehicle transportation declined. In China, lockdowns and other measures resulted in a 26% decrease in coal consumption, and a 50% reduction in nitrogen oxides emissions.
9. Discrimination and Prejudice :
Heightened prejudice, xenophobia, and racism toward people of Chinese and East Asian descent were documented around the world. Age-based discrimination against older adults increased during the pandemic. This was attributed to their perceived vulnerability and subsequent physical and social isolation measures, which, coupled with their reduced social activity, increased dependency on others. The restrictions included mandatory vaccination over the age of 50, and mandatory vaccination to use public transport.
10. Lifestyle Changes :
The pandemic triggered massive changes in behavior, from increased Internet commerce to cultural changes in the workplace. Home delivery orders increased, while indoor restaurant dining shut down due to lockdown orders or low sales.
Hackers, cybercriminals and scammers took advantage of the changes to launch new online attacks. Education in some countries temporarily shifted from physical attendance to video conferencing. Massive layoffs shrank the airline, travel, hospitality, and other industries.
11. Travel :
There was a "travel boom" causing air travel to recover at rates faster than anticipated, and the aviation industry became profitable in 2023 for the first time since 2019, before the pandemic. However, economic issues meant some predicted that the boom would begin to slow down. Business travel on airlines was still below pre-pandemic levels and is predicted not to recover.
12. Immunizations :
During the pandemic, millions of children missed out on vaccinations as countries focused efforts on combating COVID-19. Efforts were made to increase vaccination rates among children in low-income countries. These efforts were successful in increasing vaccination rates for some diseases, though the UN noted that post-pandemic measles vaccinations were still falling behind. Some of the decrease in immunization was driven by an increase in mistrust of public health officials. This was seen in both low income and high income countries.
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