Social impact of Covid 19
Coronavirus, also referred to as COVID-19, originated in a meat market in Wuhan, China in December last
year. The virus spread quickly across the world and has claimed millions of lives. Soon, the World Health
Organization declared the deadly disease a pandemic. All economic, social, cultural and political activities
came to a standstill. Governments advised citizens to remain indoors and practice social distancing.
However, scientists, doctors, healthcare workers and providers of essential services continued to work
hard and have emerged as heroes through the pandemic. The virus was confirmed to have reached
Pakistan on 26 February 2020, when two cases were recorded (a student in Karachi who had just
returned from lran and another person in the Islamabad Capital Territory. In March, our Prime Minister
announced a nation-wide lockdown to tackle the surge in positive cases. Citizens were required to wear
masks and use sanitizers and wash thei hands regularly. Public transport shut down and non-essential
companies industries and services have been advised to remain closed till further notice.
Schools and universities sent students back home and continued teaching through online portals
Many people were upset about these changes and wondered how long before they would be able to
return to normalcy. Many others argued that this was the 'new normal' and that we would have to adapt
to these changes
However, with the spread of the coronavirus, fake WhatsApp forwards spread like wildfire too. These
fake headlines caused unnecessary fear, panic and anxiety amongst the public.
One of the biggest learning from the pandemic has been to inculcate patience.
Everybody needs to stay at home, regardless of whether they are bored, frustrated or tired of doing so. It
is imperative to realize that things will start to get better gradually and in the process, sometimes, things
might turn worse before getting better. Setbacks are part and parcel of any developmental process.
Businessmen, entrepreneurs and servicemen accustomed themselves to build an office environment at
home and enjoy house chores with their professional work. Countless other people have had to learn
online banking and cashless transactions since the use of paper money is being discouraged
Most of us have evolved and adjusted to these conditions and developed a "normal" routine. All of us
must strive to remain focused and positive through these challenging times and remember that every
cloud has a silver lining
Currently, the entire world is facing the devastation and destruction brought on by a terrible virus,
COVID-19.
SARS-CoV2, a novel coronavirus, has spread over the world, affecting more than 200 nations and
hundreds of people, with alarming morbidity and fatality rates.
All of this began on December31,2019, when the Chinese Disease Control Center reported 27 cases of
patients with pneumonia of unknown cause who shared a Hunan seafood market that lacked sanitary
controls, raising concerns about a possible zoonosis.
Because SARSCoV-2 exploits the ACE-2 receptor for its entry into the host cell, the clinical picture of
patients with COVID-19 has a pattern of respiratory dominance and is dependent on the virus's tropism
towards the target organs of the body
