The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is the greatest global medical concern of the twenty-first century thus far. Since it began in late 2019, the pandemic has affected almost every nation’s health sector, education, and social constructs. Some of the disease’s effects have left long-term impacts that will define human lives long after it passes. Understanding the effects of COVID-19 will inform decision-making during the recovery phase and reactions to future pandemics.
COVID-19’s greatest impact has been in the healthcare sector. First, it has tested the global readiness to mobilize medical resources. For instance, many communities have had to deal with shortages in ventilators and personal protective equipment, resulting in short-term adjustments and inventions (McLaughlin, 2020). The global ban on importation and international travel forced many countries to mobilize locally available resources. Thus, many governments, especially in the developing world, may reduce medical importation even after the pandemic passes. Consequently, there will be a shift in the global pharmaceutical market, with more nations being self-reliant.
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The pandemic has also affected healthcare policymaking. As the disease became rampant in nations, governments and medical sectors brainstormed how to curb the disease. Mainly, there was a need to establish quicker responses to outbreaks, such as temporary healthcare facilities, emergency production or retrieval of medicine, and public education. The policies that various nations developed will influence future responses to even small-scale outbreaks.
COVID-19 has also impacted medical research. As the world began to accept the pandemic’s reality, there was a quick reminder of the immunization research process. Typically, it can take up to ten years to create a new vaccine. While some process speed-checks are necessary to ensure legal and ethical compliance, bureaucratic bottlenecks consume a lot of time. There was a widespread belief that even after a vaccine’s successful approval, it would take almost a year before it is available globally. Hence, the pandemic will force medical shareholders to review the vaccine-development process and eliminate redundancies in research, approval, and production.
Outside healthcare, the disease has mainly affected the economy. The restriction of movement, social distancing, and the general fear of infection caused many businesses to shut down indefinitely. Unlike a natural economic recess, the change was drastic, and without a predictable recovery trajectory. Hence, the pandemic’s economic effects will continue for years after the full resumption of activity.
Moreover, education has been greatly affected. Schools and universities closed down to prevent the spread of the virus. Students at home are significantly affected in terms of their mental health and cannot continue learning properly. Due to financial instability in most families, most students cannot afford private tutoring, and thus on resumption, there will be a learning gap with those who could.
Another economic effect is the evolution of workplace dynamics. After the global shutdown, many companies switched to working-from-home protocols. However, companies that did not have the technological structure in place before the pandemic suffered massively. There was limited time to install the system, and it was challenging to train employees effectively. Soon, most businesses will fully embrace information technology. They will use the infrastructure to reduce workplace expenditure, such as office space (Global Workplace Analytics, 2020).
Finally, COVID-19 has impacted social constructs massively. For instance, the disease has affected low-income communities more than the rest. Poor people lack the financial means to obtain food, shelter, sanitation, and medication to protect them from the disease. The United Nations (2020) reckons that the disparity may increase social inequality and discrimination. Furthermore, the pandemic has led to tensions among neighboring communities or countries with varying views on the disease’s prevalence and containment. Such tensions could graduate to xenophobia or international conflicts. Thus, there is a need to install social protection mechanisms to avoid further polarization of communities.
References
Global Workplace Analytics. (2020). Work-At-Home After Covid-19—Our Forecast. Retrieved from https://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/work-at-home-after-covid-19-our-forecast
McLaughlin, D. B. (2020). The Potential Impact of COVID-19 on Policy. Retrieved from https://healthcareexecutive.org/archives/may-june-2020/the-potential-impact-of-covid-19-on-policy
United Nations. (2020). The Social Impact of COVID-19. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/2020/04/social-impact-of-covid-19/
