COVID-19 is a virus caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. It is a very dangerous and deadly disease that has appeared in China at the beginning of 2020. It has started to spread rapidly and now every country is affected by it. Everyone needs to stay at home, wear masks in public places and keep a social distance. It is hard to imagine a single thing in the world that has not changed after the pandemic. It impacted the world economy, resulting in economic crises, business closures, and job losses. However, unfortunately, the main consequence of this virus is that a lot of people die after it or have serious implications for their health after recovering. In other words, COVID-19 has significantly changed the world around us and it is hard to imagine that it will never be the same again.
Speaking about my reflections on the topic of the virus, it is very depressing for me to see the current situation in the world with all these deaths and crises. Wherever you go, you will witness the consequences of this disease. For example, one of such objects is the educational system. This point directly affects me because I am a student. Educational institutions started to close and accept distant learning. It became more difficult to study and to see my classmates and teachers. Luckily, the situation has started to change and colleges and schools have started to open again, which brings some optimism. However, it should not mean that other regulations should not be followed. We still need to follow them in order to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.
These regulations mean that people should stay at home if it is possible and if it is not, then it is advisable to wear masks in public places. We also should care about those who are in the risk groups: old people or people with lung or heart diseases. They have a greater chance of getting a serious form of the disease and suffering from lung damage. These groups also have a bigger chance of dying from the virus. We should be conscious of it and try to keep them safe.
Recently, the first vaccines have been invented and we should consider the opportunity to vaccinate. If the vaccines are safe and do not cause any negative effects, then there is no reason not to use them. Sadly, there are reports that some of the vaccines are not secure enough for people’s health, because they may cause blood clots and lead to death. Nevertheless, there are many other vaccines and not all of them are unsafe. I believe it is a good idea to vaccinate because it significantly reduces the chances of getting a virus and suffering from it. Moreover, if all people were vaccinated, it would be a great step in stopping the pandemic.
Unfortunately, another thing that prevents the pandemic from finishing is the people who deny coronavirus and do not follow all the rules. They go to supermarkets and other public places without wearing masks, they sneeze and cough and spread the virus. Moreover, they persuade other people to act this way by spreading fake news and false information about the virus. It is hard to understand why they cannot see that the virus really exists and continues to kill people. However, I believe that the situation changes with time because evidence of the existence of the virus continues to appear. Some of those who were COVID-19 dissidents at the beginning of the pandemic began to change their opinions after they saw their relatives and friends catching the virus or became ill themselves. This gives hope and makes us believe that further enlightenment of people will help to stop the spread of the virus.
Another thing that makes everyone wonder is what our world will look like after the COVID-19 pandemic. Maybe we will still be needing masks because they would stop us from getting other viruses. This can be expected because scientists say that new forms of COVID-19 still appear, like the new British Covid strain. These variants of the virus are said to be even more dangerous and deadly than the original coronavirus. Also, according to some media, currently existing vaccines do not prevent you from these strains. These facts mean that, unfortunately, the pandemic may be prolonged for a very long time and it is hard to predict when it will finish.
To conclude, I can say one thing for sure – eventually, this pandemic will end because it is not the first one to hit mankind. There were hoaxes, bubonic plague, and Spanish flu, which were very dangerous and caused many deaths, too, but they were defeated through the joint efforts of scientists and medics. Though COVID-19 is a scary disease, it is not very different from them, which means that with the passing of time we will be able to breathe a sigh of relief.