HOW OUR HEALTH HAS BEEN CHALLENGED
The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which was first noticed in 2019 and came to the fore at the dawn of 2020, attained a pandemic status and became a global affair affecting everyone and every race. The world was almost in a survival race. Every country sought a way to defeat or limit its spread, so it was decided that a lockdown was the best option. This lockdown was the first of its kind in the new world. The last time the world was in such turmoil was in 1918 when the flu was being battled. Most persons who witnessed the flu either sadly died or were elderly so the issue of a lockdown was relatively new to the new world. For most people, the lockdowns and quarantines imposed by governments to slow the spread of the virus have been the first time their freedom of movement and daily life got severely restricted. Previous pandemics, such as the Hong Kong flu in 1968, brought guidelines on hand-washing and social distancing but did not require a total lockdown.
Why the Lockdown?
During the early stages of the virus, not so much was known about it and the World Health Organization was not close to getting a vaccine. At that time, it was speculated that it could take up to two years or more for a vaccine to be developed and then administered.
Countless number of people were dying and much of the apprehension was caused by the fact that the virus looked mysterious and alien to anything the world had seen. After a while, it was discovered that a possible way to curb the spread of the virus was to limit physical human interactions such as handshakes, hugs, and other forms of tactile gestures that represented physical human relationships.
To fully enforce this, different countries asked its citizens to stay at home indefinitely until there was considerable progress in research. China was the first to implement a complete lockdown in Wuhan where it was first discovered, after which, at least 16 other cities tried to contain the virus, then the world followed, which can now be described as the largest quarantine in human history.
This new stay-at-home order was not like a holiday or vacation where you had your pubs, spa, malls, luxury hotels, and fancy restaurants in operation.
Economic activities were shut down and all that left in operation were pharmacies and stores where people could access food items and sanitary materials. There were no visitations or grand celebrations taking place. Organisations and business meetings took place virtually. Everything was changed. Slowly, every day began to look the same because the activities that gave each day meaning were no longer there. Boredom became almost an unwelcomed presence in different homes. For months, this cycle continued and people stayed at home hoping for a glimpse of light in our fight against the virus.
How effective was the lockdown?
The lockdown was the first big step taken in our quest to limit the spread of the virus across the globe. Different studies proved that the lockdown was essential in preventing further loss of human lives. Although the economic implications of the lockdown were severe, it went a long way to buy the world some time to figure things out. People died from the virus around the world; however, a potential loss of more lives was prevented.
Studies showed that there was a fall in infections in countries such as China, Germany and Spain after lockdown measures were implemented in those countries. In China, it was observed that there was a drop at the rate at which the infection level doubled. Prior to the lockdown, it took two days for the number of infected cases to double up, but during the lockdown, it took about four days for that to happen.
Furthermore, experts said that Italy's five-week lockdown prevented about 200,000 people from getting admitted to the hospital from cases related to the virus. Also, there was a 45% drop in the transmission rate of the virus during the lockdown in Italy.
At the beginning of April, the lockdown combined with other measures such as travel restrictions and social distancing was speculated to have prevented about 530 million infections across China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, France and the USA. From the reports above, it can be agreed that the lockdown was quite effective. On the other side of the coin, it came with its own challenges. One major challenge posed by the lockdown was the untold hardship low-income countries suffered. Some countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America were severely affected and became economically vulnerable as a result of the lockdown. Another effect of the lockdown, which probably is the most severe, is the health challenges it posed. While the virus raged outside, the lockdown became an avenue where people developed health concerns that threatened their overall wellbeing.
The health challenge posed by the lockdown
The lockdown negatively impacted the health of people around the world. Parents and children alike battled the effect of having their life paused by the pandemic. Research showed that the lockdown affected people's health mentally, emotionally and physically. It is important to know how the lockdown affected the health of people to be best prepared for it. Most times, people are anxious because they have no clue what they are dealing with. This uncertainty creates anxiety and depression in people.
It is important to note that health care became a priority to those with covid-19 related cases during the lockdown, which meant that other health concerns, though severe, were considered secondary. The surge in the number of positive cases became almost too much for the health sector to handle. Most countries solicited help from private citizens to donate their properties to be used as isolation centres because most health facilities were filled up and the cases increased daily.
This situation is common during a lockdown. For instance, if you had a headache, you might not access your doctor as freely as you could because your case was considered less important and not of high priority. For these reasons, it is important for everyone to know how to stay healthy should another lockdown happen.
This book seeks to address lockdown and the health of individuals. The covid-19 inspired lockdown will probably not be the only lockdown that the world will experience, this book will prepare you ahead of time to stay healthy in every aspect of your life.
Let's discuss how the lockdown affected our health:
Mental health
The lockdown left a lot of people already suffering from mental health concerns with fresh issues to deal with. Most online sites that deal with mental health-related issues reported a surge in the number of people that called them for help. School children were distraught at not having to go to school, while adults were frustrated by not being able to work. Some families battled the concern of losing their jobs as most companies and organizations cut down on their staff to ensure their survival. If the lockdown had