Introduction
Coronaviruses are a cluster of viruses that cause diseases in animals and birds. These viruses result in respiratory tract infection that ranges from mild to lethal in animals. The COVID-19 pandemic emerged in Wuhan, China, on December 19 and spread to other parts of the world. There have been over 446 million cases reported, with approximately 6.2 million deaths worldwide as this disease spread across the world (Wilder-Smith et al., 2020). Many governments instituted lockdown measures to slow down and stop its spread, among other mitigating measures. Although some of these measures were unsuccessful as the cases kept rising, they were implicit in minimizing the number of cases.COVID-19 primarily spreads through contact with the droplets from the patient through sneezing, coughing, or contact with the surface is contaminated with the virus (Katulanda et al., 2020). Some of the most common symptoms include coughing, sneezing, running nose, fever, and stomach ache. In severe cases, it causes difficulty breathing and headaches, among other symptoms. Several mitigating measures were used to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including lockdowns, Mandatory wearing of masks, east of protective use of personal protective equipment by medical practitioners, clash of schools and other non-essential businesses, among other measures.
Lockdown
- Lockdown measures effectively prevented the spread of COVID-19 in most countries across the world (Lopes & McKay, 2020). These measures included restricting the movement of people to different regions, especially those with the highest cases of COVID-19.
- Restrictions of the movement were also instituted in different towns, especially those with high cases of COVID-19 spread (Wilder-Smith et al., 2020). This ensured that people in the region might not spread the virus to other cities in the country and across the world.
- Nighttime curfews were also instituted in different cities and states worldwide to minimize the movement of people who subsequently reduce the spread of COVID-19 (Katulanda et al., 2020). Most cities and states instituted dusk to dawn curfew to minimize the movement of people and instituted heavy fines for those who defied this policy.
Compulsory wearing of masks
The World Health Organization insisted that wearing masks will prevent the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring saliva droplets from patients with COVID-19 do not come to contact with healthy patients or surfaces used by other people (Guner et al., 2020).
Personal protective equipment
Personal protective equipment was primarily recommended for health care practitioners who deal with patients with COVID-19. Nurses, doctors, and other physicians were there for personal protective equipment such as face shields, gloves, and other gears to protect themselves from contact with COVID-19 viruses (Khaleghi et al., 2020). This subsequently resulted in reduced cases of COVID-19 among medical practitioners.
Closure of schools and other non-essential institutions
Closure of schools and non-essential institutions such as restaurants and hotels were instituted to minimize the spread of COVID-19. This virus spreads through contact, especially when a healthy person comes into contact with the virus and puts his hand on their mouth, nose, or eyes. Restaurants and other food establishments were primarily closed due to their propensity to spread the virus by sharing eating utensils and equipment (Guner et al., 2020).
Social distancing
Minimal contact between people would subsequently minimize the spread of COVID-19 hence the institution of social distancing measures (Khaleghi et al., 2020). This also ensured that people met in smaller groups and maintained at least two meters. Therefore, social distancing was evident in queues for essential services and public means of transportation.
Isolation and quarantine
This measure was instituted for extreme cases where patients have either been confirmed to be COVID positive or cases where individuals suspected to have their virus due to the symptoms exhibited. Isolation ensured that people with COVID-19 protected themselves and their loved ones from the spread of COVID-19 (Guner et al., 2020).
Conclusion
Several mitigating measures were used to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including lockdowns, Mandatory wearing of masks, east of protective use of personal protective equipment by medical practitioners, clash of schools and other non-essential businesses, among other measures. The effectiveness of these measures was diverse, with the most effective being the wearing of masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially among patients with COVID-19 infections. Medical practitioners were also educated and provided with personal protective equipment such as face shields, gloves, and masks to protect themselves from patients suffering from COVID-19. The government also instituted compulsory wearing of masks among civilians, especially in public places. Creating awareness through media and social media was also imperative in this spread of COVID-19. People were educated on the implications of this disease and how it spread. The public was also educated on some strategies necessary for personal protection, such as social distancing washing of hands and Isolation and quarantine for those infected.
References
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