The WHO finally decreed the end of the health emergency due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 on May 5, 2023. Today we will know what the end of the health emergency means, and what is the legacy of the Coronavirus COVID-19 in all aspects of life.
For 3 years and 3 months the world has been under the threat of the coronavirus. However, little by little, the necessary steps were taken to decree the end of the health emergency due to Cornavirus Covid-19. However, the aftermath of the Coronavirus COVID-19 is enormous and global in scope. Let’s find out what was the impact locally and globally of this disease that took so many people and put humanity on tenterhooks.
Table of Contents.
The return to global pandemics
The COVID-19 coronavirus took us back to the time when science was unable to deal with any disease. We are at a time when science could not give immediate answers to a health situation.
The Coronavirus COVID-19 reminded us how fragile human beings are, but it also showed us how important science and investment in health are. Many countries with extraordinary health systems struggled with waves of infections. Some of the most shocking cases were Spain and the United States.
In the first, it could be seen how a free first-level health system could collapse in the face of an unexpected event. This meant that in the first phase of the pandemic deaths grew exponentially.
In the United States, the pandemic struck at the foundations of one of the most advanced health systems. The drugs could not help and with this the confidence that everything can be solved with medicines and investment was broken. This is how after some time social distancing measures gained strength and importance in the US.
A similar event is not likely to occur anytime soon, but we must remember the learnings to be better prepared in the future.
Early warning systems in the health field and global collaboration for the attention of global emergencies can be key to human survival.
We must also learn not to underestimate the risk of a health threat. Just like it happened in China and what allowed the pandemic to spread globally. Politics cannot become the censorship of real threats, next time we may not survive.
Human impact of the coronavirus, deaths.
Officially there were 765 million people infected and 6.9 million cases. The truth is that in many countries the necessary tests were not carried out to have more real figures, underestimating the true scope of the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
According to statistics for excess deaths and other methods, COVID-19 must have claimed at least 20 million lives. But it was not only the lives of these 20 million people that were affected. Millions of people lost their relatives. Families were fatally decimated. Millions of orphaned children.
Without a doubt, the human impact was incredible.
Border closures, suspension of flights, people stranded in strange countries because they were traveling when the health emergency was decreed due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
The social cost of all these deaths is incalculable. And this brought us to the climax when social distancing became the norm. For those who traveled was a necessity they discovered that they could no longer do it.
People who couldn’t work and thousands of small businesses that went bankrupt.
The confinement had a high impact on many people in different ways and therefore we will talk about the social effect of the legacy of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Social Effect of the COVID-19 Coronavirus Legacy: Social Distancing and Isolation
Social distancing was one of the most effective and at the same time toughest measures of COVID-19. Until the development of the vaccine, the world had to seclude itself in its homes.
This social distance allowed to reduce contacts and thus reduce infections to the point of making them manageable for national health systems.
Before social distancing, the infected were piled up in hospitals and clinics without the possibility of treating them all, which skyrocketed mortality.
The key was to reduce infections to care for the sick and manage the situation. In this way, more resources could be invested in each sick person and prevent their death.
In addition, we had to gain time to better understand the disease to treat it and wait for the vaccine to be available. It was certainly a difficult time.
This situation affected the mental health of many people, but also their economy. Many businesses depended on people being able to leave their homes. Later we will see the economic impact, but now let’s address the issue of mental health.
Mental health, a topic to consider
With the coronavirus, not only was the physical health of humanity challenged, mental health was also put at risk. Distancing resulted in increased family violence, increased the suicide rate and put large numbers of people at risk of losing their mental health.
Humans are social beings. We need interaction and contact with other people. Technology helped many people feel less isolated thanks to video conferencing and social media. But for others this wasn’t enough.
People began to find it difficult to leave their homes for fear of getting sick or other people. Cases of anxiety skyrocketed, affecting the lives of many people.
While the health emergency of the Coronavirus COVID-19 is in the past, a mental health emergency is likely to be coming.
We must be attentive to the signs of psychological sequelae resulting from isolation and generalized fear. Only in this way will we be able to provide timely attention to the people affected and help them to reintegrate into the social dynamic.
The pandemic also generated some undesirable situations related to social networks. Social networks became the center of the lives of many with the risks that this implies.
In recent years, social networks have become a hotbed of toxicity and extremism. The adoption of new technologies must be a process in which we understand the risks and mitigate their effects.
Online harassment on social media or isolation must be assessed and controlled. This will prevent the tool I prevent that kept us connected during the pandemic from becoming a problem.
The economic impact of the Coronavirus COVID-19: Economic aid and inflation.
If the pandemic impacted us on anything, it was in the economic aspect. It affected many dimensions of the economy because:
- Health costs increased
- Decreased productivity due to isolation
- Aid had to be given to those who could not work
- Some companies had an uptick in revenue (such as technology and delivery)
- This upswing in some sectors was not sustainable at the end of the pandemic
- The aid that allowed families to cope with the pandemic ended up overheating the economy and triggering inflation.
In addition to all this, there were essential changes in the way of working thanks to the pandemic. The number of people who wanted to work from home or with flexible hours increased.
Although some companies are reluctant to migrate to telecommuting or hybrid models, telecommuting is here to stay.
There was also an increase in home delivery models. Although the size of such companies will not return to what it was in the pandemic, it will become a significant economic area.
Many of the changes that occurred during the pandemic will be softened with the end of the pandemic. Although these changes will remain as they have become a part of the status quo.
The legacy of the Coronavirus COVID-19, how long will it last?
The end of the health emergency due to Coronavirus COVID-19 announces that the disease is already controlled. However, the legacy of the Coronavirus COVID-19 will remain with us for years to come.
As we could see, the legacy of the coronavirus affected almost all areas of human life. Many of these changes will be permanent. The coronavirus will affect the way we do life for at least the next 100 years.
Perhaps in about 3 generations the global pandemic will be forgotten, and we will neglect our health systems again. But that’s something we’ll see evolve.
Undoubtedly, the end of the health emergency is only the beginning of the legacy of the Coronavirus COVID-19.