Paper Example on COVID-19: Global Pandemic Impact on Nations & Borders

Introduction

The Global Novel virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV-2), emerged at the end of 2019 in the City of Wuhan, China. Later in March the following year, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a global pandemic due to its spread and rising death cases. Since the virus got discovered, many nations have experienced an increase in the number of infections. What has resulted is countries closing their local and international borders to curb the spread of the virus. This paper aims to answer questions related to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and its impact since its discovery.

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When and where was the most novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 discovered?

COVID-19 is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The infection got reported first in humans by officials in Wuhan, China. Chinese authorities made investigations and discovered the virus in December 2019 (Aadhityaa et al., 2020). The earliest cases of the virus got associated with Wuhan's wholesale food market. However, this association did not prove the actual cause of the spread of the virus. The people who were mostly affected by the disease were market employees, stall owners, and regular visitors.

How would you describe the coronavirus situation currently in the news?

Since Coronavirus got discovered in December 2019, the virus has spread very fast across the world. However, the intensity in which the virus has hit nations is different. The severity depends on new measures nations took to control the spread of the virus. Those nations that sensitized their citizens immediately after Coronavirus got announced were able to control the spread of the virus at its early stages. Media houses are taking this opportunity to educate citizens on the need to protect themselves from the virus. From the news that has spread all over the globe about the effects of the Coronavirus, there is great tension that has made the world shake.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19, and how is it different from influenza?

COVID-19 affects people differently. For most people, there is a development of mild to moderate sickness and may recover without any special treatment. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are dry cough, fever, and tiredness. Some signs are not very common but might appear in COVID-19 patients. They include sore throat, headache, diarrhea, loss of smell and taste, and skin rashes and toe and finger discoloration. Finally, the most severe symptoms of COVID-19 are loss of movement and speech, chest pressure and pain, and breathing difficulty or shortness of breath. Although a virus causes COVID-19 and the Influenza flu, they have significant differences. (1) One virus, the SARS-CoV-2, causes COVID-19, while influenza flu can come from several stains and types of influenza viruses. (2) On the transmission issue, COVID-19 is spread through the air, meaning that even if the ill person is not near, tiny fluid droplets from the body can cause the spread of the disease, unlike influenza.

What effects does the Coronavirus have on the body, and how is it currently treated?

Generally, viruses enter the body and hijack body cells. The host cells get invaded first, then they reproduce. After multiplication, they come to other vulnerable body cells. In the case of Coronaviruses, they specifically affect the respiratory system. The system consists of body organs that facilitate breathing. Coronavirus targets the airways, throat lining, and the lungs. Coronavirus can get to the point of severely damaging the lungs.

Antiviral drugs play a significant role in the treatment of viruses across the world. However, there is no antiviral drug known that can treat Coronavirus. Researchers are currently working on the vaccine and treatment of the virus.

Why should this be a major concern for people living in the United States and especially Atlanta, Georgia?

In the United States, about 49 million persons are 65 years and above. Recent reports have shown that Coronavirus has severe effects on individuals above the age of 65 years (Brown, & Jha, 2020). Therefore, with this knowledge, great caution needs to be taken to protect the United States population. Data has shown that the aged are vulnerable to the virus. Due to the high number of aged people in Atlanta, Georgia, the number of Coronavirus infections and deaths is alarming. Therefore, the government must devise control measures to ensure that the disease does not eliminate this vulnerable group.

As of your report's time and date, how many current cases of COVID-19 are there globally? In the U.S.?

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly hit the world with infection cases hitting a 10, 373,070 mark. Global deaths as a result of the virus are currently 506, 926 (Aadhityaa et al., 2020). In the United States, the number of infections is at 2, 668, 588, with 128, 665 deaths. The number of people who have recovered from the virus in the United States is 1, 103, 090, as of today (Brown, & Jha, 2020).

Finally, based on the number of cases, reported deaths, and your research, should we be greatly alarmed by this virus, yes or no, and why?

From the number of reported cases and deaths from COVID-19, the world should take precaution and control the spread of the pandemic. If nations fail to adhere to the control measures given by the World Health Organization (WHO) concerning the COVID-19 epidemic, then they must expect the worst. The disease can affect anybody, regardless of age or race. Therefore, this is a matter of global concern that must get dealt with in unison.

Works Cited

Brown, P., & Jha, P. (2020). Mortality from COVID-19 in 12 countries and 6 states of the United States. doi:10.1101/2020.04.17.20069161

Aadhityaa, M., Kasiviswanathan, K., Ilampooranan, I., Soundharajan, B., Balamurugan, M., & He, J. (2020). A Global Scale Estimate of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases Using Extreme Value Distributions. doi:10.1101/2020.04.17.20069500

Cases in the U.S. (2020, June 11). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html