Introduction
In the past, the healthcare sector has witnessed shocking global pandemics, including cholera, bubonic plague, Spanish, and smallpox, which caused that have caused massive deaths. The centers for disease control estimates that the 1918 Spanish flu infected 500 million people, killing 50 million people globally (Aassve et al., 2021). In 2020, the healthcare sector was shocked by the unexpected emergence of covid 19 and its rapid global spread. The total covid 19 cases are 648 million, with 6.65 million deaths (Hamzah et al., 2020). The emergence and spread of covid19 have caused global unrest and negatively impacted the global economy. However, the government has established economic stimulus plans to counter this impact and has successfully alleviated and controlled the country’s economic status. Therefore this paper will discuss the emergence, spread, and economic impact of covid 19, personal plans to control the pandemic, and governmental stimulus plans to counter the economic impact of covid 19.
Emergence of Covid 19
Covid 19 is a respiratory illness caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV). The emergence of covid 19 dates back to December 31, 2019, when the healthcare department in Wuhan city, china, discovered mysterious cases of pneumonia-like illness. However, on January 7, 2020, medical professionals identified the causative agent of this disease as a new coronavirus prompting the world health organization to name the condition Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) (Keni et al., 2020). The causative virus was initially termed 2019-nCoV but was later renamed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Although many authors have raised various claims as to the origin of the virus, with some attributing its origins to snakes and pangolins, conclusive and increasing evidence from medical researchers is indicating that the origin of the virus is bats, as previously found in other respiratory viruses (Keni et al., 2020). With more people inhabiting forests, the natural habitats of bats, and the increasing ecological pressure, zoonotic spillovers are expected. Thus, respiratory viruses change their hosts from animal to man (Keni et al., 2020). With uncertified research indicating more than two strains of the causative virus, this is bound to affect its pathogenicity, and the varying degrees of infections in different nations may explain this data. However, this research information should be cross-verified to avoid situations where seemingly harmless strain variants mutate and cause massive destruction of life.
Spread of Covid 19
Approximately, covid 19 entered the united states in February 2020, and so far, the centers for disease control have reported more than 98 million cases of the disease with over one million deaths. The elderly, children, and those with compromised immunity are at higher risk of contracting covid 19. According to the CDC, more than 70 percent of the reported deaths in the United States are of patients older than 65 years (Keni et al., 2020). As covid 19 is a communicable disease, it can spread from one person to another through inhaling respiratory droplets from infected persons. Aerosols such as sneezing, coughing, saliva, and breath are parts of the particles that hasten the spread of covid 19. In its efforts to contain the virus and minimize its spread, The CDC has recommended measures to the general public, such as wearing masks in public settings, maintaining social distancing, restricting international movements, cleaning hands with soapy water or sanitizers and going into quarantine if infection with the virus is suspected (Keni et al., 2020).
The economic impact of Covid 19
Covid 19 has caused immense global economic consequences, with the significant impact being the covid 19 recession. The covid 19 recession, otherwise known as the Great Lockdown, began in February 2020, and the world is still experiencing its impact to date. The covid 19 global pandemic induced this global economic recession due to the global lockdowns and precautionary measures that limited the supply of goods and services, thus causing liquidity-induced market instability (Maital & Barzani, 2020). The first and significant sign of the Covid-19 recession was the 2020 stock market crash which saw indices drop by 20-30 percent in February and March. The US GDP fell by 32 percent by April 2020. The recession led to massive unemployment cases, with the United States reporting more than 10 million cases by October 2020. Other consequences of the covid 19 recession are the 2022 stock market decline, an increase in government debt, especially in African countries, the collapse of small businesses, the hospitality industry and oil prices, and a downturn in consumer activity (Maital & Barzani, 2020).
With international travel limitations as a precautionary measure to the spread of covid 19, the pandemic has affected various industries, including trade, sports, fashion, and technology. These limitations have prompted these industries to cancel various major events causing profound monetary impact with rough estimates of losses ranging between billions of dollars (Maital & Barzani, 2020). With the witnessed global economic stagnation, the covid 19 pandemic has dealt the world a severe economic impact.
Personal plans to control Covid 19
To control the covid 19 pandemic at a personal level, I plan to continue maintaining social distancing and wearing facial covering in public settings, avoid crowded places, take the covid 19 booster vaccine doses, sanitize and educate the community and my family on the disease and how to prevent it effectively. I also plan to continue reading about the condition to familiarize myself with current information and effectively protect against it.
Economic stimulus plans of the government
The US government has made various economic stimulus plans to respond to the economic crisis caused by the covid 19 global pandemic by providing fiscal, economic stimulus, and economic relief to the affected citizens. These plans include enacting the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) and the American Rescue Plan Act. Some elements of these laws include paycheck protection and student loan forbearance (Maital & Barzani, 2020). These economic stimulus plans came quickly, helping businesses and individuals recover from the crisis. The government should continue helping these individuals but offering economic relief and enacting policies on lending programs and interest rates to allow businesses to recover.
Conclusion
The covid 19 global pandemic owes its origin to Wuhan City, china, after which it massively spread internationally. This pandemic has caused an immense economic impact, with the significant consequence being the covid 19 recession which saw the stock market crash in 2020, causing the global financial crisis. The government is enacting various economic stimulus plans that are helping individuals push through the economic crisis caused by the pandemic as I implement measures to control the pandemic personally.
References
Aassve, A., Alfani, G., Gandolfi, F., & Le Moglie, M. (2021). Epidemics and trust: The case of the Spanish Flu. Health economics, 30(4), 840-857.
Hamzah, F. B., Lau, C., Nazri, H., Ligot, D. V., Lee, G., Tan, C. L., … & Chung, M. H. (2020). CoronaTracker: worldwide COVID-19 outbreak data analysis and prediction. Bull World Health Organ, 1(32), 1-32.
Keni, R., Alexander, A., Nayak, P. G., Mudgal, J., & Nandakumar, K. (2020, May 11). Covid-19: Emergence, spread, possible treatments, and global burden. Frontiers. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00216/full#:~:text=On%20December%2031%2C%202019%2C%20mysterious,COVID%2D19%20by%20the%20WHO
Maital, S., & Barzani, E. (2020). The global economic impact of COVID-19: A summary of the research. Samuel Neaman Institute for National Policy Research, 2020, 1-12.
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