Introduction
The latest outbreak of COVID-19, short for “coronavirus disease of 2019”, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has had an undeniable permanent impact on a global scale. The pandemic has influenced the life of every member of the human society without any exception, whether in an irrevocable way or through the limitations that it brought forth. Despite the pandemic being the most debated and controversial subject of the year 2020, there is still a shortage of factual evidence about its origin and nature. In an attempt to bring more clarity, this work exhibits the major aspects concerning COVID-19: its history and discovery, structure, symptoms and the effects on mental health, social impact, and the ways of its prevention.
The History of the Coronavirus
The first occasion of the acute respiratory viral infection caused by coronavirus took place long before the 21st century pandemic. The case is from 1960 and is documented as flu; in the following years, the disease spread, without resulting in worrisome numbers in statistics. It is known that “out of 500 patients identified with flu, only 17% were confirmed to be of coronavirus strain” (Kumar et al). These were the years when the family of coronaviruses was first classified. Until the 2000s, the coronavirus disease was treated as non-fatal virus infection, however in 2003, several researchers started reporting the spread of the coronavirus from China to USA, Singapore, Thailand, India and Vietnam. The mortality of the virus has risen, and more than a thousand fatal cases were reported that year (Kumar et al). Another strand, MERS, was spotted in Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, in 2012-2013 – resulting in fatalities for 40 people (World Health Organization). The next and biggest outbreak caused by these viruses became what is now known as the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Characteristics and Molecular Structure
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that affect a range of species – from humans to animals to birds. Seven coronaviruses can affect humans, others being found in birds, snakes, mice, pangolins, and others. It is a known fact by now that the contaminant of the virus spreads by airborne droplets. Due to airborne nature as well as additional features in its molecular structure, it is now known of its capability of mutation, which is probably how it started affecting humans in the first place. The researchers state that “there are confirmed cases of the existence of mechanisms for acquiring new receptor interactions, which is an important step in cross-species transmission” (Lu et al p. 568). The viruses were originally named for the crown-like spikes on their surface, which help them to bind with the host’s receptors, and form a clade within the subgenus arbovirus, Orthocoronavirinae subfamily (Zhu et al p. 727). The coronavirus is unique in many other ways, but perhaps the most relevant thing about it to humans is how dramatically it changed every aspect of human society the past year.
The Spread and Number of Reported Cases of COVID-19
As soon as the global society understood the rates at which the new danger grew, each state authority has been trying to control the infection rate by imposing limits and regulations. Majority of them altered the way public spaces are used, and involved various obligations regulated at the state level. The most important ones are wearing a protective facemask and gloves, keeping a social distance. These and other strategies are responsible for the gradual decline in new cases that is happening right now. Since 28th January outbreak in Wuhan in 2020, however, the number of new COVID-19 patients has been escalating drastically. The official count, as of March 2021, peaks at 113 989 973 confirmed cases worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Out of that number there are 2 531 542 cases of fatalities reported (WHO). However, it is crucial to understand, that these numbers represent the situation partially, as no health organization or media outlet knows the total number of cases, but only the reported ones.
Psychical Symptoms Characteristic of COVID-19
As the pandemic progressed, medical workers studied the new coronavirus in great detail and derived a number of common symptoms. They include respiratory symptoms, such as dry cough, fatigue and fever, as well as difficulty breathing and chest pain at more progressive stages (Lovato et al p. 22). Beside the ones listed above, there are more distinctive characteristics that point specifically to a COVID-19 infection. An unusual symptom frequently reported is loss of sense of smell and taste. To give a sense of perspective about how representative of COVID-19 this symptom is, “among the 26 participants, 24 reported loss of taste with 14 reporting complete loss, and 18 participants reported loss of smell” (Dawson et al p. 683). Less common symptoms include muscular aches, diarrhea, and conjunctivitis. In more serious cases the virus causes severe pneumonia (WHO). However, the effect the virus has on an individual can vary – and the symptoms are not only physical.
Mental Health Effects Caused by the Pandemic
The fact that should not be overlooked during these complex times is the state of mental health of an average individual. The pandemic has brought a lot of feelings of helplessness, panic, anxiety and depression to many people. Major contributing factors are “uncertain prognoses, shortage of medical resources, imposition of unfamiliar public measures that infringe on personal freedoms, large and growing financial losses, and conflicting messages from authorities” (Pfefferbaum et al p. 510). The causes of such distress might come from the novelty of the pandemic, being an unheard of event for more than a century. Two types of emotional involvement can be identified – the broader feeling of anxiety associated with the future’s uncertainty for most people, and the personal dilemma and fear of the COVID-19 patients. Both are equally important and should be addressed directly because if not, many people are going to be at risk of developing mental illness or even, various types of psychosis – and many are already at the verge of it.
Prevention Tactics
As the pandemic is still ongoing, it is crucial to understand the importance of strategies and tools one can implement to avoid transmission of the virus to oneself and others. The most obvious and omnipresent ones are wearing a medical mask and protective gloves – preferably, disposable ones. Keeping a social distance is still as important as it was last year. Sanitizing one’s hands, clothes, objects, surfaces is another way to make sure that the virus dies, even in case of coming into contact with it. However, these measures are only preventive – in case of infection one must isolate themselves either at home or in a hospital for two weeks at minimum. The steps mentioned above are the least of what one can do to contribute to the decline of the infection rate. A much greater alternative that society has to offer in 2021 is the COVID-19 vaccine. According to Knoll, the previous year “has seen 58 vaccines be developed and in clinical trials, with some reportedly having more than 90% efficacy” (p. 72). Thus, getting vaccinated and developing collective immunity is the only way humans will overcome this pandemic on a global scale.
Conclusion
As the current state of the matters suggests, the coronavirus disease is not going to disappear anywhere in the near future. Although the virus has made a big damage to human population, the new danger does not present itself as petrifying as it used to. Top scientists and medical workers have studied the nature of the phenomenon in great detail and developed tools and solutions to apply against it. It is evident that the measures implemented by governments worldwide are working – slowly but surely, the situation is starting to improve. Despite that it has affected everyone’s lifestyle in a major way, and reshaped the ways human society functions, the situation is under control now. The goal of this research was to understand the nature of the coronavirus pandemic in a better way, and through that, gain a better insight into the possible outcomes of the future. One can say now, given the human’s natural unprecedented strive towards overcoming obstacles with innovation, anything is possible. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for the human society, however, it is going to remain just that and will not evolve into anything more.
Works Cited
Dawson, Patrick, et al. “Loss of Taste and Smell as Distinguishing Symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019”. Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 72, no. 4, 2021, pp. 682–685.
Kumar, Dharmenda et al. “Coronavirus: A Review of COVID-19”. EJMO, vol. 4, no. 1, 2020, pp. 8-25.
Knoll, Maria Deloria. “Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy”. The Lancet, vol. 397, no. 10269, 2021, pp. 72-74.
Lu, Roujian et al. “Genomic Characterisation and Epidemiology of 2019 Novel Coronavirus: Implications for Virus Origins and Receptor Binding”. Lancet, vol. 395 no. 10224, 2020, pp. 565–574.
Lovato, Andrea et al. “Upper Airway Symptoms in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).” American Journal of Otolaryngology vol. 41 no. 3, 2020, pp. 21-27.
Pfefferbaum, Betty et al. “Mental Health and the Covid-19 Pandemic”. The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 383 vo. 6, 2020, pp. 510-512.
WHO | World Health Organisation. World Health Organization, 2021. Web.
Zhu, Na et al. “A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019”. The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 383 no. 8, 2020, pp. 727-733.