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Covid 19 Pandemic: Cause and Effect

The Covid 19 pandemic is arguably one of the most infectious illnesses to have affected

the human race in the modern era. Notably, the virus is killing people on a large scale worldwide,

with the rate of infection growing by the day despite the restrictions instituted by various

governments. However, the development of multiple vaccines is a breakthrough that many health

experts see as the long-lasting solution to the pandemic. Nevertheless, it is necessary to

understand the cause of the virus and its impact on people and other crucial sectors of life.

Almost everyone around the world was affected by the pandemic, although its impact depended

on our status as individuals and the society in which we belong.

In the journal article The Origin of COVID-19 and Why It Matters the authors point out

that “In 2007 scientists who studied the family of Coronaviruses warned about the significant

presence of SARS-CoV strains horseshoe bats and referred to them as ticking time bombs (P.2).”

At the time when this warning was provided, few people listened, and 18 years later, the Covid

19 pandemic threatens to outdo the damages done by the Spanish flu of 1918, which is regarded

as the deadliest respiratory disease to affect the world since it killed an estimated 50 million

people. Experts have identified the Covid 19 virus as the SARS-CoV-2, which is believed to

have originated from animals, especially bats (Morens et al., P.3). Moreover, scientists pinpoint

Wuhan, China, as the place where the first animal-to-human transmission occurred (Morens et
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al., P.11). Since then, the virus has been transmitted from one human host to another through

physical touch and the air if one breathes in droplets that originated from a previously infected

individual (Coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) P.5). The Covid-19 has had significant adverse

effects on people and livelihoods, and the situation can be blamed on human ignorance, as

scientists warned the human race almost 18 years ago.

Misinformation was a problem that immediately arose after the confirmation that Covid-

19 was a severe threat to public health. According to Bridgman et al., “The Covid19 pandemic

was affected by infodemics which is a global spread of misinformation which can negatively

affect the transmission patterns (P.3).” Today, users can generate fake news and information on

social media as it is possible to hide under fake accounts. Consequently, major social media

platforms such as Facebook and Twitter faced an uphill task of dealing with fake news

considering the number of users worldwide. Misinformation on the measures to deal with Covid

19, especially on social media, affected the transmission patterns as people did not take them

seriously initially (Bridgman et al., P.9). On the other hand, the economy of many countries was

impacted negatively by the pandemic.

The journal article Effects of COVID-19 pandemic in daily life claims, “Covid 19

(coronavirus) has negatively impacted people’s day to day life and the global economy (P.1).” In

many nations globally, governments resorted to using the lockdown restrictions to slow down the

spread of the virus. Consequently, this decision resulted in the closure of many businesses as it

was impossible for any movement of goods to occur either locally or internationally. The supply

chain breakdown meant that the manufacturing industry had to slow down on the production of

essential goods (Haleem et al., P.9). During this period, many businesses experienced losses,
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which negatively affected the economy of many nations as trade is essential for revenue growth.

Arguably it was the healthcare sector that was heavily affected by the pandemic.

On a personal level, the pandemic has affected people’s health and social well-being,

mainly because it leads to death in severe cases. Moreover, the financial burden to treat the

disease was often overwhelming for many people. Also, the healthcare sector was affected as it

struggled to deal with many cases. The authors of the journal article Effects of COVID-19

pandemic in daily life point out that “The health sector faced challenges in functioning with the

existing medical system (Haleem et al. P.3).” Notably, the healthcare system was expected to

deal with other diseases, for instance, people with pre-existing conditions. As a result, it was

challenging to balance out the existing medical resources, which led neglection of some patients

(Haleem et al., P.3). In addition, the healthcare supply chain was disrupted with equipment to

deal with the pandemic was prioritized.

In conclusion, the Covid 19 pandemic has had severe consequences on various sectors of

life. SARS-CoV-2 was identified as the virus that causes the Covid 19 infection and was initially

transmitted from animals to humans. The effects of the pandemic were tremendous; for instance,

the misinformation about the illness on social media affected the control measures instituted by

the government. Additionally, the was a significant strain on the economy as people could not

conduct business due to lockdown restrictions. On the other hand, the healthcare sector was

affected as it struggled to deal with the challenges presented by the pandemic.

Works Cited

Bridgman, Aengus, et al. “The Causes and Consequences of Covid-19 Misperceptions:

Understanding the Role of News and Social Media: HKS Misinformation Review.”

Misinformation Review, 26 Jan. 2021, [Link]

causes-and-consequences-of-covid-19-misperceptions-understanding-the-role-of-news-

and-social-media/.

“Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education

and Research, 1 Mar. 2022,

[Link]

20479963#:~:text=Data%20has%20shown%20that%20the,%2C%20breathes%2C

%20sings%20or%20talks.

Haleem, Abid, et al. “Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic in Daily Life.” Current Medicine Research

and Practice, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Published by Elsevier, a Division of RELX India,

Pvt. Ltd., 2020, [Link]

. Morens, David M, et al. “The Origin of Covid-19 and Why It Matters.” The American Journal

of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, The American Society of Tropical Medicine and

Hygiene, Sept. 2020, [Link]