The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced and altered many people’s lives, and mine is no exception. During this period, people had to adjust to social isolation and learn to communicate with each other at a distance. However, those who were sick with COVID demonstrated positive health outcomes when they were engaged in social relationships. My personal experience confirms the idea that social relationships are vital to human health.
Several months ago, my younger cousin was having COVID. As a medical worker, I decided to take care of him and help him overcome the disease. When my cousin received a positive PCR test result for coronavirus, he panicked because he realized he would have to self-isolate for at least ten days. The young man used to spend time with friends and colleagues, and he hated social isolation. However, I tried to calm him down and assured him that I would visit him as many times as needed to take care of him. My cousin relaxed and spent the next two weeks in self-isolation. This experience taught him to value social relationships and face-to-face contact and made him reconsider his attitudes toward his health and healthcare services.
Fortunately, my cousin’s case was mild, and he could stay at home without any medical assistance. The main symptoms of COVID he experienced were the loss of physical strength, high temperature, chest pain, and a slight cough. He took the medications his doctor prescribed to him and drank a lot of water and other liquids. He could not perform any mental work, so he watched films and listened to music all the time. When my cousin felt better, he took a fresh look at life and health. The pandemic in general and the disease, in particular, had affected his perception of the world and made him enjoy every moment of life.
Having recollected this case, I realized that although social isolation was needed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, poor social ties would lead to negative health outcomes for sick people. When we interact with each other, feel support and receive help, either moral, physical, or financial, our health risks decrease. Social relationships are vital to preserving health and overcoming diseases because they stimulate people to fight against their illnesses. If a person has beloved people, friends, and relatives, they will not lose heart. However, if they are fully isolated, they will feel lonely, and their health will worsen. Therefore, I believe that strengthening social ties is the most cost-effective and successful preventive healthcare strategy.
Moreover, I think that society plays a crucial role in citizens’ well-being and health formation. Suppose society advertises the principles of disease prevention, emphasizes citizens to stay calm and positive, and does not aggravate the situation. In that case, people will feel safer, and their health will be better. However, if society focuses on problems only, frightens people of the fatal outcomes of the disease, and gives orders, citizens will feel stressed and anxious, and their health will deteriorate. Although society and social relationships are not the main determinants of health, they greatly impact it, so healthcare practitioners should consider these factors during the pandemic. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic taught many people to appreciate their social ties and health more and helped them reconsider the impact of social isolation on human well-being.