At the local level, a wide range of measures have been taken in order to reduce the spreading of the coronavirus. For example, in 2020, stay-at-home orders were imposed in 19 counties of the U.S. (Ballotpedia, n.d.). In Abbeville, a juvenile curfew was introduced. In Aberdeen, public gatherings of ten or more people were restricted. The election debates were held online, and a number of parades and celebrations were cancelled. For some people, these measures were seen as imminent, whereas some regarded the pandemics as an instrument of manipulation and tried to break the new restrictions.
National Perspective
In the U.S., coronavirus was an instrument of manipulation during the presidential race. According to Baccini et al. (2021), the pandemic has negatively affected Trump’s rating and vote share. Trump’s response to the coronavirus challenge contrasted with that of many European leaders, which led to the discontent and criticism. People started to blame the administration and the measures taken by it for the high death toll and quick spread of the virus. The analysis made by Baccini et al. (2021) shows that over 80% of Democrats were afraid to get the coronavirus, whereas among Republicans, this number was only 25%. About 60% of Republicans were mostly ready to get back to their ordinary lifestyle, whereas only 3% of Democrats were ready for it (Baccini et al., 2021). Thus, the fear of coronavirus has changed the political balance in the U.S. in favor of Joe Biden, who finally won the presidential race.
Global Perspective
COVID-19 created a certain tension between many countries, both adversaries and allies. As Bonotti and Zech (2021) put it, large countries such as China and the U.S. can use the situation in order to reach global hegemony. The U.S. strictly refrained from selling masks to Lain America and Canada in order to save them for domestic use (Bonotti & Zech, 2021). A “vaccine race” has also contributed to the tension between the countries, becoming an obstacle to their cooperation. Different countries support their own vaccines, preventing people with foreign vaccines from crossing their borders.
Legal Implications
Numerous legislative measures were taken at different levels in order to mitigate the COVID-19 issue. Many countries have introduced lockdowns, the violation of which could be followed by fines and imprisonment. For example, in New Zealand, a man was sentenced to prison for repeated breaches of a lockdown. Wearing personal protective equipment for medical personnel also became the subject for legal implications. Mandelson and Keane (2020) specify that high-level personal protection should have been prescribed by law for all medical professionals working with COVID-19 patients. However, many clinics might not comply with legal implications in this field (Mendelson & Keane, 2020). Different measures are taken to reduce the contacts of infected people with the rest of society. For example, in Vietnam people avoiding COVID-19 treatment are going to be sentenced to up to five years of imprisonment (Khmer Times, 2021). In UAE, people spreading disinformation and rumors about COVID-19 are also subject to imprisonment (Mariam Al Serkal, 2020). There are many cases of imprisonment for breaking new restrictions.
Policy
In many countries, people are forbidden to enter trading centers and restaurants without protective masks. In addition, the policy concerning QR-codes and vaccination certificates has been introduced. QR-codes are used as a pass for entering locations visited by many people, for example, concert halls. Some countries accept only vaccinated visitors, some accept visitors only with particular vaccines. A number of lockdowns also created some new rules which changed the local policies. At the national level, supranational polities have experience discord connected with the development of new policies (Bonotti & Zech, 2021). For example, EU members disputed on a compromise on the plan concerning economic recovery.
Interprofessional Healthcare
Interprofessional online programs were introduced in order to prepare health professionals to the COVID-19 challenges. The need to work in teams consisting of different professionals increased. Thus, a number of trainings is taken in different facilities to increase the skills of usage of protective equipment, mechanical ventilation, and orotracheal intubation (Belarmino et al., 2020). Inter-team meetings are taken in order to enhance communication between different professionals.
Nursing Implications
In the field of nursing, a range of new practices has been introduced due to the coronavirus. Courteney et al. (2020) describe antimicrobial stewardship programs that were introduced in the nursing sphere in order to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus and reduce its impact. The antimicrobial stewardship programmes require that nurses could carefully distinguish between symptoms of microbial and viral infections. In addition, nurses should inform the patients about the coronavirus, fighting the myths concerning this disease. They have to spread the message that antibiotics should not be used in order to treat viral infection and can be prescribed only in case of primary or secondary bacterial infection. The nurses have to wear protective masks in order to reduce the spread of the virus. Also, rapid spreading of infection led to partial repurposing of the medical staff and reformation of nursing teams.
Reflection
COVID-19 had significant impact on my personal and professional life. Like anyone else, in the beginning of pandemics, I experienced anxiety related to the risk of infection and the necessity to stay indoors. In addition, in the professional sphere, I have experienced certain overload and tiredness related to the need to learn more about the new virus. Medical professionals have experienced stress caused by ab increased risk of infection and by a large number of patients. Some teams were reshaped, and a range of new policies occurred. However, now I have adapted to the new conditions and experience less anxiety than I did before.
References
Baccini, L., Brodeur, A., & Weymouth, S. (2021). The COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 US presidential election.Journal of population economics, 1–29. Advance online publication. Web.
Ballotpedia (n.d.). Local government responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020.
Belarmino A., Galeno Rodrigues M.E., Silva Bezerra dos Anjos S., Ferreira Junior A.R. (2020). Collaborative practices from health care teams to face the covid-19 pandemic.Brasileira de Enfermagem, 73(2). Web.
Bonotti, M., & Zech, S. T. (2021). The Human, Economic, Social, and Political Costs of COVID-19.Recovering Civility during COVID-19, 1–36. Web.
Justice Ministry Spokesman: Anyone with COVID-19 who avoids medical treatment will be sentenced to one to five years’ imprisonment. (2021, April 12). Khmer Times.
Mariam M. Al Serkal, W. C. R. (2020). COVID-19: Temporary imprisonment for spreading rumours in UAE. Gulf News (United Arab Emirates).
Mendelson, D., Keane, M., Bagaric, M., & Graydon, C. (2020). Legal Implications of Personal Protective Equipment Use When Treating Patients for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). Journal of law and medicine, 27(4), 856–864.