Impact of the COVID-19 virus into a nationwide impact

by Meghashree Das

You may have never heard of it, but the coronavirus has impacted your life in ways you probably didn’t even know. While most people who get infected will show no symptoms or only mild flu-like symptoms, this virus can infect anyone anytime. It has been claimed to be the cause of nearly a quarter million deaths worldwide since 2012. The worst part? “Some strains are resistant to antiviral drugs and vaccines”.

This article will outline how the virus has deeply affected not just human lives but also global culture and industry as well, both good and bad. Before we go any further, we want to make it clear that this article was written in hopes to educate the public on what the coronavirus actually is and how it has impacted so many lives, both directly and indirectly.

The Background Of The Coronavirus

The virus originated in bats and was first discovered in 2003 (Zhou, Kohanskiy & McCauley). Around the same time, researchers found that their DNA was similar enough to that of humans that a vaccine for them could be developed. However, the process didn’t move very quickly because there just weren’t many cases reported. By 2008-2009, scientists had found evidence of the virus in humans but still saw no correlations between its infection and severe illness.

Here is a little dig on the Wuhan virus.

On April of 2012, a virus outbreak in Saudi Arabia, where the term “Middle-Eastern Respiratory Virus” was first used to describe the disease. Many people died and those who survived were left with permanent lung damage. The outbreak caused widespread panic and around that time was when the name “SARS-like virus” became more popular to describe the disease. Global travel and the world economy were severely impacted by this crisis and many people had to find new ways to get around for both work and pleasure.

Cases of this virus continued to pop up throughout the rest of the world, especially in East Asia. Over the course of several years, scientists had identified many cases and found that the virus could be transmitted person to person by way of close contact and bodily secretions . By 2013, a vaccine was finally developed and has since been used to treat those infected with the SARS-like virus.

Impact of the virus into nationwide segments for the Coronavirus

A multitude of people have been impacted by this viral outbreak in their daily life, both directly and indirectly. Economically, it has had a tremendous effect on the international travel industry. From airlines to cruise lines people have had to think twice before traveling abroad as many new viruses were discovered with the onset of this breakout. Not only that but fear is still present. While health officials say they don’t believe there is any risk of a major outbreak, many organizations still ask passengers who have visited the Middle East to quarantine themselves for 21 days as a preventative measure against spreading the virus.

From a cultural perspective, those who were directly affected by the outbreak have had to deal with different ways in which this could have affected them. The most likely scenario is that people will think twice about travel to the Middle East and other parts of the world where this virus is prevalent. After all, there really hasn’t been many major reports of this virus spreading beyond the Middle East and Asia. The most widely known possible effects of the virus virus is the way in which it has impacted the already strained medical system. Because the virus can be spread via bodily secretions, it will make many people more afraid to go to hospitals for medical care. Because of this, they will go to an emergency room instead where they are more likely to spread the virus to others.

The second major effect is how this outbreak affected work. With so many people out of work and unable to travel, it was seen as a major setback for the recovery efforts from both a financial and affective aspect. People who did have jobs were forced into early retirement so that they could recover from their ailments. People just weren’t sure how the virus was spreading so fast. Both of these outcomes had a huge impact on the global economy as well.

A reality check

While it has had a major impact on both work and travel, this virus hasn’t spread very far beyond Asia and the Middle East. So while it is certainly a serious concern, most of Europe and North America are not under threat from this virus. However, it is said that this virus may mutate to become more airborne or virally spread. Should that happen, the entire world could be at risk indefinitely. The current status of the coronavirus treatment is an absolute miracle considering how little was known about it in 2013-2014. While there hasn’t been a huge outbreak since, the threat of air travel in recent years has made many people wary to travel.

Additionally, it is possible that the virus may get into our food supply through infected animals and cause widespread panic. If this were to happen, anything from fish and poultry to beef could be potentially dangerous because they can all carry traces of the virus without a human showing symptoms. As more research continues to be produced and new vaccines are developed, we will be better prepared for the next time this virus rears its ugly head.