Topic

COVID-19 pandemic

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On IJR

No public IJR answers mention COVID-19 pandemic yet. As people ask about it and share their answers, they'll appear here.

Topic

COVID-19 pandemic

0 members

Overview

The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is a global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified in an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. Attempts to contain it there failed, allowing the virus to spread to other areas of Asia and later worldwide in 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020. The WHO ended its PHEIC declaration on 5 May 2023. As of , the pandemic had caused cases and confirmed deaths, ranking it fifth in the deadliest epidemics and pandemics in history. COVID-19 symptoms range from asymptomatic to deadly, but most commonly include fever, nocturnal cough, and fatigue. Transmission of the virus is often through airborne particles. Mutations have produced many strains (variants) with varying degrees of infectivity and virulence. COVID-19 vaccines were widely deployed in various countries beginning in December 2020. Treatments include novel antiviral drugs and symptom control. Common mitigation measures during the public health emergency included travel restrictions, lockdowns, business restrictions and closures, workplace hazard controls, mask mandates, quarantines, testing systems, and contact tracing of the infected. The pandemic caused severe social and economic disruption around the world, including the largest global recession since the Great Depression. Widespread supply shortages, including food shortages, were caused by supply chain disruptions and panic buying. Reduced human activity led to an unprecedented decrease in pollution. Educational institutions and public areas were partially or fully closed in many jurisdictions, and events were cancelled or postponed during 2020 and 2021. Many white-collar workers began working from home. Misinformation circulated through social media and mass media, and political tensions intensified. The pandemic raised issues of racial and geographic discrimination, health equity, and the balance between public health imperatives and individual rights.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Notable quotes

“"If we did so poorly with something like COVID-19, you can imagine how poorly we would do with something like a 1918-level event," Adalja said, referring to the influenza pandemic of 1918 that killed an estimated 50 million people around the world, according to the Cleveland Clinic.”
— Amesh Adalja as quoted by Simrin Singh in “World leaders are gathering to discuss Disease X. Here's what to know about the hypothetical pandemic”, CBS News, (January 17, 2024)
“Sweden, a country which never imposed significant lockdown measures, has officially declared that the COVID-19 pandemic is “over” and announced that it will be lifting all remaining restrictions.”
— Tyler Durden, Sweden Declares The Pandemic To Be "Over", ZeroHedge, 9 February 2022
“The best way to describe COVID right now is as endemic but with these periodic epidemics. And those epidemics can vary in terms of their timing and magnitude. And that’s exactly why ongoing vigilance and surveillance is critical.”
— Aron Hall as quoted by Rob Stein, “Is COVID endemic yet? Yep, says the CDC. Here's what that means”, NPR, (August 9, 2024)
“There was no word of support that they're going to offer to African countries to help us control the pandemic and particularly no mention of addressing this vaccine inequity that we have been warning about all year and [of which] we are now seeing the consequences play out”
— Dr. Richard Lessells, infectious diseases specialist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa Vaccine inequity and hesitancy made the Omicron variant more likely, scientists say (November 28, 2021)
“Successful vaccine rollouts have failed to stop Covid transmission, with new data showing the prevalence of the virus increasing in fully jabbed individuals, according to a medical study in The Lancet. Examining new infections in Germany, researchers found that the rate of cases among fully vaccinated individuals aged 60 and older has risen from 16.9% in July to 58.9% in October.”
— RT, Mass vaccination fails to halt Covid transmission rates – study, 1 December 2021
“In dealing with the Covid-19 epidemic that suddenly exploded, we have given expression to the great love that unites human beings by adhering to the principle according to which people and human life must be put first, and we have written an epic of the struggle to the epidemic with intrepidity, aware of the fact that unity is strength.”
— Xi Jinping (December 31, 2020)

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

On IJR

No public IJR answers mention COVID-19 pandemic yet. As people ask about it and share their answers, they'll appear here.

Overview

The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is a global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified in an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. Attempts to contain it there failed, allowing the virus to spread to other areas of Asia and later worldwide in 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020. The WHO ended its PHEIC declaration on 5 May 2023. As of , the pandemic had caused cases and confirmed deaths, ranking it fifth in the deadliest epidemics and pandemics in history. COVID-19 symptoms range from asymptomatic to deadly, but most commonly include fever, nocturnal cough, and fatigue. Transmission of the virus is often through airborne particles. Mutations have produced many strains (variants) with varying degrees of infectivity and virulence. COVID-19 vaccines were widely deployed in various countries beginning in December 2020. Treatments include novel antiviral drugs and symptom control. Common mitigation measures during the public health emergency included travel restrictions, lockdowns, business restrictions and closures, workplace hazard controls, mask mandates, quarantines, testing systems, and contact tracing of the infected. The pandemic caused severe social and economic disruption around the world, including the largest global recession since the Great Depression. Widespread supply shortages, including food shortages, were caused by supply chain disruptions and panic buying. Reduced human activity led to an unprecedented decrease in pollution. Educational institutions and public areas were partially or fully closed in many jurisdictions, and events were cancelled or postponed during 2020 and 2021. Many white-collar workers began working from home. Misinformation circulated through social media and mass media, and political tensions intensified. The pandemic raised issues of racial and geographic discrimination, health equity, and the balance between public health imperatives and individual rights.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Notable quotes

“"If we did so poorly with something like COVID-19, you can imagine how poorly we would do with something like a 1918-level event," Adalja said, referring to the influenza pandemic of 1918 that killed an estimated 50 million people around the world, according to the Cleveland Clinic.”
— Amesh Adalja as quoted by Simrin Singh in “World leaders are gathering to discuss Disease X. Here's what to know about the hypothetical pandemic”, CBS News, (January 17, 2024)
“Sweden, a country which never imposed significant lockdown measures, has officially declared that the COVID-19 pandemic is “over” and announced that it will be lifting all remaining restrictions.”
— Tyler Durden, Sweden Declares The Pandemic To Be "Over", ZeroHedge, 9 February 2022
“The best way to describe COVID right now is as endemic but with these periodic epidemics. And those epidemics can vary in terms of their timing and magnitude. And that’s exactly why ongoing vigilance and surveillance is critical.”
— Aron Hall as quoted by Rob Stein, “Is COVID endemic yet? Yep, says the CDC. Here's what that means”, NPR, (August 9, 2024)
“There was no word of support that they're going to offer to African countries to help us control the pandemic and particularly no mention of addressing this vaccine inequity that we have been warning about all year and [of which] we are now seeing the consequences play out”
— Dr. Richard Lessells, infectious diseases specialist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa Vaccine inequity and hesitancy made the Omicron variant more likely, scientists say (November 28, 2021)
“Successful vaccine rollouts have failed to stop Covid transmission, with new data showing the prevalence of the virus increasing in fully jabbed individuals, according to a medical study in The Lancet. Examining new infections in Germany, researchers found that the rate of cases among fully vaccinated individuals aged 60 and older has risen from 16.9% in July to 58.9% in October.”
— RT, Mass vaccination fails to halt Covid transmission rates – study, 1 December 2021
“In dealing with the Covid-19 epidemic that suddenly exploded, we have given expression to the great love that unites human beings by adhering to the principle according to which people and human life must be put first, and we have written an epic of the struggle to the epidemic with intrepidity, aware of the fact that unity is strength.”
— Xi Jinping (December 31, 2020)

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.