It’s been two years since SARS-CoV-2 spread its devastating form and was declared a global public health emergency. During this period, there have been over 433 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, including over 6 million deaths, reported to the World Health Organization. The pandemic had changed life across the globe, through lockdowns, sickness and lives lost. Life-saving research and analysis were made during this period.
In December 2019 I was traveling and was browsing my mobile lazily when I came across the news of a virus infection in China. I did not took the news seriously and thought its nothing to worry about. As the month was passing by news started pouring about the virus, it appeared in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Estimated that SARS-CoV-2 made the jump to humans at one of Wuhan, China’s open-air “wet markets.” Never new life would have been so difficult for most of us. Now there is a controversy that the virus was man made or it spread through living beings thats not the argument of my discussion. My thoughts are how devastated we are still now and to carefully craft the analysis. We have lost our dear ones directly or indirectly in this episode and that is shocking.
Now as a common man I started reading through what this virus is all about but never estimated the deadly outcomes of its nature. Severe acute respiratory syndrome, called SARS, emerged in 2002–2003 as a coronavirus from southern China and spread throughout the world with quantifiable speed. During the 2002–2003 outbreak, SARS infection was reported in 29 countries in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. About 8098 infected individuals were identified, with 774 SARS-related fatalities.
A read from from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that the full death toll associated directly or indirectly with the COVID-19 pandemic (described as “excess mortality”) between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021 was approximately 14.9 million (range 13.3 million to 16.6 million). (Ref: https://www.who.int/news/item/05-05-2022-14.9-million-excess-deaths-were-associated-with-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-2020-and-2021).
Now let’s go back in the past. The influenza epidemic of 1918 killed more people than died in World War 1. The flu afflicted over 25 percent of the U.S. population. In one year, the average life expectancy in the United States dropped by 12 years. (Reference : https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/influenza-epidemic/).
On March 22nd onwards our life took a different turn. WHO declared coronavirus as a pandemic and life almost stood still with the ambulance hooters sound passing by. Masks, hand wash was reinforced, still the virus started affecting the Old people and the comorbid conditions, things were getting worse. There was a shortage of ventilators and the worst affected were doctors and nurses. thousand gave their life in saving others life and life came to a stand still. Economy was falling, daily working people were affected the most, their income was almost stopped. Government supported with food, masks. Sanitizers and other welfare organizations came up helping others. Basic screening was done and Govt. Hospitals geared up for treatment. There was a toggle shift to online mode from offline. Schools, colleges stopped, many lost jobs and ended their life unable to bear the consequences. I too was affected, with my mother sick there was hardly any doctor who would be interested to come home but rely on online monitoring through mobiles.
Scientists first identified a human coronavirus in 1965. It caused a common cold. Later that decade, researchers found a group of similar human and animal viruses and named them after their crown-like appearance. Seven coronaviruses can infect humans. The one that causes SARS emerged in southern China in 2002 and quickly spread to 28 other countries. More than 8,000 people were infected by July 2003, and 774 died. A small outbreak in 2004 involved only four more cases. This coronavirus causes fever, headache, and respiratory problems such as cough and shortness of breath. (Reference : https://www.webmd.com/lung/coronavirus-history).
The word corona means crown and refers to the appearance that coronaviruses get from the spike proteins sticking out of them. These spike proteins are important to the biology of this virus. The spike protein is the part of the virus that attaches to a human cell to infect it, allowing it to replicate inside of the cell and spread to other cells. Some antibodies can protect you from SARS-CoV-2 by targeting these spike proteins. (Reference : https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/about-covid-19/basics-covid-19.html).
Now the basic symptoms in COVID-19 were pretty common with respiratory illnesses — fever, a dry cough and shortness of breath. Some people also get a headache, sore throat. It may feel as if you have a cold. coronavirus attacks the lungs, and in about 20% of patients, infections can get more serious. These symptoms can also make it harder for the lungs to get oxygen to your blood, potentially triggering a cascade of problems. Elder persons aremore susceptible to the risk of infection from COVID-19, especially those with chronic health conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
COVID-19 is caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2. It is part of the coronavirus family, which include common viruses that cause a variety of diseases from head or chest colds to more severe (but more rare) diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Like many other respiratory viruses, coronaviruses spread quickly through droplets that you project out of your mouth or nose when you breathe, cough, sneeze, or speak.
The COVID-19 has affected our lives and millions of people around the globe. In addition to having severe health consequences, the pandemic has also devastated our goals, our family dynamics and job roles and downgraded out economic stability. The effects of mandatory lockdowns in phases have cast a spell on mental health. Both youths and elderly people were affected in his courses.
The overall number of global coronavirus cases has surpassed the 172.9 million mark, while the death toll has increased to over 3.71 million, according to the statistics by Johns Hopkins University.
The virus phase are still not over though the death toll and severity of the symptoms have decreased. The vaccines are in place and the world is recovering now. But what lessons the coronavirus have taught us, to be more careful and fight cautiously against it. Get treated, use protocols though some people have shown a deficit in their attitude. Healthcare symptoms should be more proactive, people to help others in time of distress. Let’s take a pledge and make the world a beautiful place again.
