By Eddie Hayes
The
Covid-19 virus, commonly known as the coronavirus, has truly taken the world by
storm. A few weeks ago our entire country was operating just fine and we were
living our lives like any other day. In what seemed like an overnight
phenomenon, confirmed cases of the coronavirus started to pop up in the United
States. Soon, cases started to multiply and it wasn’t long until the whole
country and even the world was turned upside down. This has truly and
completely changed the world as we all know it. It has led to major disruptions
in our health, our economy, and our social settings.
One
obvious effect that the coronavirus has had on people all across the world is
their health. The coronavirus has symptoms very similar to the flu, but can
oftentimes be much worse. It is known for mainly targeting older people,
however, there are also cases of much younger people, sometimes even in their
40s or 50s, who have had a real struggle with the virus. This poses a real
threat to our healthcare system. If the coronavirus continues to spread, our
hospitals will not be able to keep up with the influx of new patients who
desperately seek medical attention.
This
is an unprecedented medical crisis and was not anticipated, leading to the
world being very unprepared for a situation like this. Some hospitals can not
fit everyone into the hospital due to a lack of beds for patients. Also, we are
starting to run low on medical supplies such as masks to protect the doctors
and nurses, as well as ventilators which are used with people who are not doing
well from the virus.
There
are already examples in the world today of countries under severe hardship due
to these issues. Italy has been hit very hard by the coronavirus and their
entire healthcare system has essentially collapsed. An article in The Atlantic by Emily Buder details a
filmmaker's visit to a hospital in Italy. “All 900 beds were occupied with
patients suffering from complications of the virus,” she wrote. This is the
harsh reality of what Italy is going through right now, as well as other places
across the world. “Italy’s death toll had risen by 743 people
in 24 hours. As of today, March 26, 7,503
people have died of COVID-19 in the country, with 74,386 still infected,”Buder continued.
This global medical crisis has posed a massive threat to the world, as many
countries struggle to stay afloat.
Another
big issue presented alongside the emergence of the infamous coronavirus is the
economy. Ever since coronavirus made national headlines, the economy took a
serious nosedive and is struggling to stay under control. Since this virus is
very contagious, people are going out less. This is detrimental to businesses
who rely on their customers for income. In some cases, businesses are
completely going out of business or being forced to shut down. This is leading
to people being laid off and left behind. It has become so bad that there has
been a hold placed on payments such as rent, stating that no one can currently
be evicted from their current place of residence. On a much larger scale, our
country is not allowing people who do not live inside the country to enter,
which can interfere with international business and relationships. The economy
has been seeing record low numbers and experts predict that things will most
likely become much worse before they get better.
One
final, but very important effect of the coronavirus is how it has
affected our social settings. It seems as if the entire world has been put on
pause for the last couple of weeks. Schools have been shutting down, people are
getting laid off, and businesses are going under. People do not want to leave
their houses unless it is for absolutely necessary circumstances. Even when
they do leave their house, people are often seen wearing protective gear such
as masks.
Many
people are following the advice from professionals and practicing “social
distancing.” This is where people keep a safe distance from others, avoiding
any unnecessary contact that could possibly spread the virus. Furthermore,
popular and nationwide events have been cancelled. Vacations, festivals and
concerts have all felt the effects of the coronavirus. Even major sporting
events such as NBA and NHL games have been suspended indefinitely. The Democratic primary debate was held in a remote location with no audience. The
entire social setting of our country and the whole world has been completely
uprooted due to the emergence of the coronavirus.
Clearly,
this virus has had major effects on several aspects of our everyday lives. It has
interrupted our healthcare systems, our economy, and even our social
environment. The entire world seems to have been put on pause, as we wait for
things to get better and we can all go back to our regular lives, with fears of
coronavirus put behind us.
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