TED Talk: Why COVID is hitting Us Now

Answer

TED Talk: Why COVID is hitting Us Now

            The scope of this paper is to discuss the current corona virus pandemic and how to contain its spread in a global perspective. Corona virus disease (COVID-19) outbreak emerged from Wuhan, Hubei province in China. The disease is now a global pandemic and is spread through contact with an infected individual’s respiratory droplets released when one sneezes or coughs. Signs and symptoms of COVID-19 include a cough, fever, headache, fatigue, diarrhea, dyspnea, hemoptysis and pneumonia. Recovery depends on the status of an individual’s immunity. Currently, there is no special medication for treating the disease. At risk population that may develop severe illness include cancer patients, patients with chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and/or cardiovascular diseases (Adhikari et al., 2020). Substantial knowledge is needed so as to fight and control the spread of the disease. People need to understand the etiology, how the virus spreads and the remedies to be adopted in order to control it.

 Legal implications of the pandemic include development of clear guidelines for managing and controlling the pandemic. Many governments have employed travel restrictions and quarantine as some of the strategies to control the spread of the infection (Shaikh, 2020). Shaikh (2020) advises governments to put in place enough resources for identifying, monitoring, and treating COVID-19. Besides, well-resourced research laboratories are important elements for overcoming the outbreaks. Effective detection and treatment of cases will also reduce COVID-19 infections. However, travel bans and quarantine imposed by the governments contravenes human rights since human beings are social beings and have freedom of socialization. The need to socialize has forced some to escape quarantine centers in order to interact with their families or friends. The government should instead implement proper monitoring and evaluation of the spread of the virus and its impacts are required (Shaikh, 2020). Intervention measures such as isolation, quarantining and tracking of contacts are some of the effective approaches for controlling the spread of COVID-19 (Kucharski, 2020). 

            Ethically, it is the sole duty of the government to feed its citizen with the correct information to avoid spread of fake news, which can cause panic in the population. Equity should be the guiding principle in our society in order to promote interest of the whole population. People have a personal responsibility to protect themselves and stay at home. In addition, smokers have a personal responsibility to stop smoking to protect themselves from worst effects of the disease. People should be educated that COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease and our contact with animals can lead to an infection. In addition, people should reduce destruction of forests in order to minimize contact with wildlife and prevent rise of other zoonotic diseases. Moreover, stopping human encroachment of the forests may help slow global warming and climate change, which may independently make the world to be friendly to more pathogenic bacteria and viruses (Shaikh, 2020).

            Socially, individuals in communities should adopt the new guidelines from the government. These guidelines include social distancing and washing of hands regularly. Mobile phones sanitization should be part of the regular routines and avoid using it in public frequently. Additionally, there is need to avoid habitual touching of their face, fingernails biting and eyes rubbing in order to control the spread of COVID-19 (Shaikh, 2020). Individuals should also be mindful and sensitive of their social surroundings. Working from home, avoiding places that are crowded, and school closures are some of the regulations put in place to minimize the spread this disease (Kucharski, 2020). In conclusion, COVID-19 pandemic can be contained by following the stipulated guidelines.