The COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant change to the world. As the pandemic ravaged through the United States and Europe, it became imminently clear that the problem would not be that of China only. The pandemic brought about draconian measures and restrictions which impacted quality of life and mental health, in a bid to defend those most vulnerable to the disease.
The pandemic has led to the deaths of over five million people worldwide with numerous cases being registered daily. During the early days, the pandemic was dealt with by tough measures which kept people at home, with non-essential shops such as restaurants being closed off. Remote working was imposed and social activity was brought to a halt. At the end of 2020, renewed hope simmered through the world as vaccines were being approved for emergency use.
Fast-forward a few months and several countries across the world are well advanced in their stride of vaccinations. As vaccines were made available, restrictions were loosened in view of the lower case counts, hospitalisations and deaths. The leap forward in a bid to return to normality has seen a spike in cases and with the colder winter months steadily approaching, this is indeed a cause for concern. Countries within Europe are registering higher numbers of cases, with the World Health Organization earmarking the continent as the epicenter of the disease.
Most countries within the European Union had to reintroduce some restrictions in a bid to keep life going on as normally as possible. The UK remains steadfast in its resolve to implement no restrictions whatsoever. Currently, the UK stands with no restrictions as even social distancing was discarded, however it is registering thousands of new cases daily, in some days reaching around fifty thousand. With the situation being one that requires constant monitoring, the government is imploring citizens to take booster jabs, with the implementation of “Plan B” kept on the shelf. “Plan B”, in a nutshell refers to mandatory COVID-19 passports, face masks and advising the public to work from home.
Another important development is the fact that two antiviral drugs are currently being considered for approval. These antiviral drugs are aimed at helping people to combat COVID-19 infection at home, without occupying beds in hospital, effectively reducing the chances of serious disease and deaths significantly.
It seems that as time progresses, the world is accepting that it needs to live with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future.
