EXPERIENCING THE PANDEMIC
During the past year and a half, the world has been hit with a historic pandemic that has resulted in a lot of instability. With the pandemic, businesses had to close down temporarily, people had to avoid seeing each other in social situations, and many people lost their lives in the process. Over the past year, the world has learned a few lessons that will allow it to be better prepared for a future pandemic.
1. AIRBORNE VIRUSES IN CLOSED SPACES IS A THREAT
One of the most significant lessons that the world has learned from the pandemic is that viruses that are present in enclosed spaces is a major threat. An airborne virus is widely spread and can result in a very high infection rate. As a result, society needs to practice social distancing in order to limit the chances of future infections among the population. Examples include at shopping malls, sporting events and concerts (see ill emu for more on its effects in the music industry). In the future, audiences will need to be more aware of airborne viruses and take any necessary precautions to ensure the health of the population.
2. MARGINALIZED GROUPS HIT HARDEST BY PANDEMIC
During the past year, some groups of people have been harder hit than others. According to data from various sources, people who have been marginalized in the past have suffered the highest rates of infections and deaths. A considerable portion of black and Hispanic residents in the United States has suffered the worst of the pandemic (https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_lessons_to_remember_when_lockdown_ends). These two groups have attained the highest percentage of illness and death. As a result, nonwhite groups are more likely to suffer the devastating effects of a pandemic more than other groups of people.
3. VIRUS CAN LAST LONGER THAN EXPECTED
It has been realized that this virus can and will likely last longer than expected. Compared to other virus outbreaks, COVID 19 has lasted longer than any other pandemic during the last century. This proves that this pandemic will likely take at least 2 or 3 years to go away completely. In order to accelerate the end of this pandemic, people will need to socially distance themselves, wear masks and also take vaccines so that everyone can get back to normal life safely.
4. WE CAN’T TEST OUT OF TAKING PRECAUTIONS
Another key lesson about the recent pandemic is that testing alone will not put an end to the pandemic. Society needs to do more in order to ensure the health and safety of everyone. Since testing will not end the pandemic alone, the world will need to do a number of other tasks in order to take the proper amount of precautions. As stated earlier, following protocols such as protecting the face and staying about 6 feet from other people will enable everyone to minimize the chances of increasing the infection and death rate of this virus.
5. USING MASKS PROVIDES PROTECTION FOR EVERYONE
Over the course of the last several months, it has been realized that wearing a mask will provide protection for many people. Wearing a mask will protect an individual from getting infected. As well as protecting yourself, wearing a mask will also allow you to protect others from getting ill as well. By wearing masks, the population has been able to help reduce the rate of infection as well as save the lives of others as well. Therefore, masks have proven to be one of the most effective tools at addressing this recent pandemic.
USING THESE LESSONS TO END THE PANDEMIC
With the lessons that the world has recently learned, it will be in a position to make significant progress in overcoming the pandemic. In recent months, health professionals and officials have used these lessons to come up with a protocol to ensure the livelihoods of the population. With these valuable lessons, society has made significant progress in putting an eventual end to the pandemic.
