Corona Virus is a new respiratory communicable infection that people spread among themselves. It is a highly contagious virus that is spreading fast in the world.
The medics also refer to the disease as COVID-19, which stands for Corona Virus Disease 2019.
It spreads through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose of an infected person when they cough, sneeze or talk. People are also infected by touching a contaminated surface and then touching their face.
The key symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry, prolonged cough, and shortness of breath. WHO has proposed preventive measures to stop infections, which include frequent hand washing with soap and covering coughs and sneezes with an inner elbow or a tissue.
Some of the effects of COVID-19 are;
1. Education
a. Homeschooling
Most countries have closed schools and higher learning centers. As a result, many parents around the world are teaching their children at home. Therefore, children are not able to meet and play with their friends.
b. Late Appraisals
Besides, schools, colleges, and universities have to set later dates for appraisals. Teachers and parents will, thus, find it hard to keep track of a child’s progress. University graduates, on the other hand, may not be able to graduate as planned.
c. No Access to Internet
One more effect of COVID-19 on education is that of children or students who do not have access to the internet. They will have a hard time catching up as others carry on with online learning. Many learning centers have introduced online learning as a tool to ensure learning does not stop.
2. Food and Agriculture
COVID-19 has affected food production and supply worldwide. There might be food shortage unless governments quickly put in place measures to solve the problem of hunger.
Market supply chains, border closures, and quarantines are some of the effects of COVID-19. Regimes might control the movement of people making it hard to get healthy types of food, mostly in countries where COVID-19 is rife.
To bring to light, more than 110million people already had a shortage of food. These people are not only hunger-stricken but also not in a place to avert the virus. They largely depend on farming and so restrictions on activity or movement, prevent them from their daily chores.
3. Economy
a. Loss of Revenue
Due to COVID-19, health crisis, the economy is hurting in all sectors, worldwide. A sharp recession is on the way and could see a decline in The Global Domestic Product (GDP) in the coming months. Treasuries around the world are losing millions of cash daily due to the virus, since most people are not working.
The effort to fight the virus has halted government operations including local and international travel. This in turn has led to a loss of revenue.
b. Job Losses
Another effect of COVID-19 on the economy is huge job losses. This is as a result of many authorities introducing lockdowns and other social-distancing measures to curb the virus spread. Most companies have closed shop. This has led to unemployment and, thus, an ailing world economy.
4. Health Sector
a. Shortage of Health Workers
The continued increase in infections has overwhelmed health systems in many countries. It is quite clear that the systems already in place cannot cope with the number of patients in need of care as a result of COVID-19.
So, the world requires around 6 million nurses to fight the virus. Third world countries are facing the most acute nurse shortages. Most important of all, the nurses need more training in detail on how to handle COVID-19.
b. Shortage of Personal Protective Equipment for Health Workers
A global shortage of personal protective equipment has put health workers at risk of getting the virus while in the line of duty. Already, some have succumbed to it, while others have tested positive. Many countries have felt this effect of COVID-19 since they are not able to produce equipment such as masks, test kits and ventilators.
5. Tourism
a. Ban on Travel
The tourism sector accounts for 10% of the world’s GDP and jobs. The pandemic has led to many lockdowns and social distancing. In essence, people who had planned to travel to many destinations across the world cannot do so.
Most countries have closed hotels, restaurants, bars, and other entertainment joints. As a result, hoteliers have lost a great amount in revenue.
b. Deserted Tourism Sites
People have deserted National parks, reserves, and other tourist attraction sites. This has led to major losses in terms of revenue, at the same time, a high rate of unemployment. Thus, the effect of COVID-19 can be felt on both domestic and international tourism.
Bottom Line
People are now feeling the effects of COVID-19 since it is spreading very fast.
Health measures should be the first concern for governments, businesses, and the people, to stop its spread.
Though, people that the governments have quarantined and locked down, will feel the effects sooner or later. Most of these people are bound to go down with symptoms of stress and disorder, including insomnia, low mood, anxiety, anger, irritability, and emotional exhaustion.
Reasons for stress in lockdown include risk of infection, the prospect of financial struggle, fear of becoming sick, or losing loved ones.