Category: COVID-19

The pandemic has brought the danger of death from epidemiological infection and an unbearable psychological burden for people around the world. Faster spread of the virus; strict isolation measures, COVID-19 has profoundly affected our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. The consequences of coronavirus on the body have not yet been adequately studied. Still, it is known for sure that the virus affects various systems and organs, as well as mental health. The article by Pillay & Barnes (2020), Psychology and COVID-19: impacts, themes and way forward, taken for analysis, belongs to the field of health psychology. The paper provides many examples that emphasize the importance of psychologists in combating the negative consequences of the pandemic. As is known from the report, some psychologists have been active in the media to help the public deal with quarantine-related stresses and disease-related anxieties (Pillay & Barnes, 2020). What is more, they have expanded assistance options for people struggling with mental health issues. The article clearly and correctly reflects the role of psychologists in health psychology related to the elimination of the consequences of the pandemic.

Pillay & Barnes used current research on the topic to write their paper, with the exception of one paper that dates from 2015 and does not play a significant role as it is supported by more recent research. Interestingly, the authors take into account the psychological state of people amid the pandemic and the impact of this on the social and political spheres. Importantly, scholars have pointed to the uneven impact (both illness and lockdown) of COVID-19 on those in abusive relationships, such as the unemployed or underprivileged, women, migrants, the disabled community, and LGBTQ people (Pillay & Barnes, 2020). COVID-19, like previous crises, has highlighted long-standing social fractures such as poverty, inequality, xenophobia, racism, patriarchy, ableism, and unequal access to healthcare.

As hypotheses, the authors considered the impact of psychological instability on marginalized groups, arguing that it disproportionately affects them compared to the rest. In addition, researchers suggest that psychologists can significantly help with the fight against the pandemic, as their specialization lies in the field of human behavior (Pillay & Barnes, 2020). To confirm the hypotheses put forward, the authors consider various studies on the topic and provide various statistics.

The weakness of the work is that scientists do not conduct independent research but only analyze existing ones. They rely on data from the first months of the pandemics rapid spread and assume that the effect will only spread. From an ethical point of view, the Pillay & Barnes article is fully honorable. According to the APA standards, all papers taken by the authors for the study were cited. In addition, the authors have declared no potential conflicts of interest regarding the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article (Pillay & Barnes, 2020). In this way, the researchers paid respect to the authors of the studied studies. Unfortunately, these assumptions have not been confirmed, so more research is needed.

The strength of the article is that Pillay & Barnes explored current issues and provided some recommendations for psychologists to deal with the pandemic crisis. For example, they argue that it is essential to draw attention to under-resourced mental health systems and strengthen partnerships with other sectors and activist organizations (Pillay & Barnes, 2020). In addition, this research can help advance psychologists among those in power to help people in need and contribute to further research.

The studies that the authors took for analysis were conducted among minorities, including racial communities that discriminated against women, LGBT people, and others. It helped the authors confirm their hypotheses, but similar work in this area suggests that everyone was affected by the pandemic without striking exceptions, as the authors claim. The main study on which the article was based was conducted at the Department of Behavioral Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, and Fort Napier Hospital. Psychological reports indicate the epidemics impact on children, the public, the elderly, medical staff, and patients (Atalan, 2020). The impact of COVID-19 on the psychology of students is often highlighted. For example, among 15,543 students, a sample in Bangladesh shows that 44.59% suffer from severe anxiety, 48.41% from moderate anxiety, and only 3.82% from mild anxiety (Dhar et al., 2020). The results show that all epidemic-related stressors positively correlate with anxiety levels (El Keshky et al., 2020). The pandemic has brought the danger of death from epidemiological infection and an unbearable psychological burden for all people around the world.

On the other hand, the authors raise the issue of violence, but they do so concerning minorities. Many studies confirm this while indicating that the overall level of violence has increased (Brown et al., 2020). It is equally important to interpret the authors paper as a call to address the problems of discrimination and consider the fight against the disease and its consequences as a common plan. If humanity is limited by ethnicity, race, culture, gender, or nationality and origin, it will not be able to survive this pandemic (Yang et al., 2021). Thus, it can be concluded that the study is relevant but, to some extent, incomplete. Analyzing the professional views of other academics on the topic, the research needs to be improved to be completely trustworthy.

References

Atalan, A. (2020). Is the lockdown important to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic? effects on psychology, environment and economy-perspective. Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 56, 3842. Web.

Brown, S. M., Doom, J. R., Lechuga-Peña, S., Watamura, S. E., & Koppels, T. (2020). Stress and parenting during the global covid-19 pandemic. Child Abuse & Neglect, 110, 104699. Web.

Dhar, B. K., Ayittey, F. K., & Sarkar, S. M. (2020). Impact of Covid19 on psychology among university students. Global Challenges, 4(11), 2000038. Web.

El Keshky, M. E., Basyouni, S. S., & Al Sabban, A. M. (2020). Getting through COVID-19: The pandemics impact on the psychology of sustainability, quality of life, and the global economy  A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. Web.

Pillay, A. L., & Barnes, B. R. (2020). Psychology and covid-19: Impacts, themes and way forward. South African Journal of Psychology, 50(2), 148153. Web.

Yang, Q., Young, I. F., Wan, J., & Sullivan, D. (2021). Culturally grounded scapegoating in response to illness and the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. Web.

Introduction

Different philosophers and religious analysts have approached the existence of God from diverse perspectives. Some remain skeptical while others have succeeded in providing strong arguments to describe the nature of God and the universe. Some of these great thinkers include Aquinas, Kant, and Reiner. Using the views of these philosophers, this paper examines whether God exists or not and goes further to describe His true nature using the ongoing coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Does God Exist: Reiner, Aquinas, and Kant

Reiner stands out as one of the great philosophers and theology scholars of the modern age. In most of his works, Reiner was able to focus on the works of great scholars in an effort to describe the nature of the universe, how it related to the life of man, and possible future ahead of humanity. According to this thinker, there was a Supreme Being somewhere who was responsible for the trends and developments recorded in the universe. He was the one capable of ruling the entire universe and everything in it. Such attributes and views were in line with Reiners position and role as a priest. In terms of Gods nature, Reiner observed that only one Supreme Being existed. He exists in these three forms: Holy Spirit, the Son, and the Father (Wojtysiak, 2018). He remains all knowing and capable of setting all things in place. He remains powerful, omniscient or all knowing, and capable of being everywhere at any given time. His eternal nature is what summarizes Reiners position about God. Using the case of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is agreeable that God has presented the right knowledge and guidance to His people. Although some people might have suffered from this health challenge, God has helped His people by providing them with the necessary resources, ideas, and knowledge to overcome (Brett & Goroncy, 2020). These positive gains being recorded during the time of this pandemic could be a proof that God exists and is always ready to help His followers.

Having been born and lived during the medieval ages, Saint Thomas Aquinas wrestled with the relationship between reason and theology. During the period, many people struggled with the question and were unable to pursue their religious and epistemological objectives. However, Saint Aquinas was keen to assert that all form of understanding or knowledge could be studied as a gift from God. In most of his works, this religious scholar and thinker described the role of faith in human life. Through such insights, he was able to prove that God really existed. He presented five ways through which humans could prove Gods existence (Ilodigwe, 2018). These included the presence and nature of movement, cause and effect recorded in the world, the manner in which nature remains impermanent, diverse levels of human determinism and perfection, and the fact that humans possessed a unique form of intelligence that could be studied as a blessing from a Supreme God. From this observation, he identified the nature of God as an ever living Supreme Being, loving, generous, and capable of guiding man to higher knowledge. Aquinas thoughts could be applied to COVID-19 as a contemporary issue whereby humans have benefited from Gods gift of wisdom to protect themselves and find a vaccine within a record-breaking time.

Immanuel Kant is another great philosopher who presents superior arguments and views to support the existence of God. Taking a divergent approach, Kant argued that it was impossible for humans to present any unique or convincing argument to describe whether God existed or not using the concept of reason. Instead, he considered the notion of summum bonum to describe how moral ethics could lead to happiness. Such gains would be attributable to the power of virtue (Palmquist, 2015). With humans having no power to bring such outcomes into fruition, Kant argued that only a superior or Supreme Being somewhere was capable of promoting positive outcomes in the world. Only such a Supreme Being had the potential to support the existence of the summum bonum notion. This being would be described as a God and He is capable of proving the right environment that can result in happiness. God is, therefore, in a position of rewarding people with happiness after the end of life on Earth. For Kant, the nature of God is quite unique because he identifies Him as the only moral ruler and author of ethical guidelines. In such a case, He is able to dictate or rule the universe (Palmquist, 2015). Kant believes that God is a theist, holy, and living. He identifies Him as a superior being capable of remaining omnipotent and omniscient. Those who consider the practicability of morality will find a reason to acknowledge that God exists. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could be studied as a contemporary issue that has led to a number of positive outcomes (Brett & Goroncy, 2020). Despite the deaths and destruction of livelihoods, the pandemic has revealed that there are some who will always be ready to help and promote empathy on earth. Some have acted in a morally acceptable manner to help innocent lives during the pandemic. These actions and achievements could be studied as efforts that try to promote Gods nature on Earth.

Conclusion

From this analysis, it is evident that the selected philosophers offer divergent approaches to explain and support the fact that God exists. In their works, Aquinas, Reiner, and Kant show conclusively that the nature of religious practice, moral principles, and human knowledge all work collaboratively to support the fact that God exists. He emerges as an all-knowing, all-present, and all-powerful Supreme Being who has ordered all lives and things in place. The ongoing pandemic has presented various positive outcomes that could be linked directly to Gods existence and goodness for mankind.

Annotated Bibliography

Palmquist, S. R. (2015). Kants prudential theory of religion: The necessity of historical faith for moral empowerment. Con-Textos Kantianos: International Journal of Philosophy, 1(1), 57-76. 

In this article, the author indicates that Kants presentation of deontological ethics set the stage for describing the nature of faith in historical religions. For people to understand the nature and existence of God, they have to focus on happiness and relate the same to ethics and morality. This becomes the real value or necessity for supporting moral development and empowerment. This appeal for morality can guide more people to lead better lives and achieve their possible goals. This article is worth reading and capable of supporting the selected questions regarding the nature and existence of God. The article is also informative and capable of helping readers appreciate Kants view of Gods superiority.

Ilodigwe, D. (2018). Aquinas and the question of Gods existence: Exploring the five ways. International Journal of Philosophy and Theology, 6(1), 19-32. Web.

In this article, the reader appreciates the fact that St. Aquinas was a prolific author whose works reshaped religious arguments and thoughts. For instance, Ilodigwe (2018) indicates that the philosophers account of the existence of God is perhaps the best known aspect of his work (p. 19). He provides five views and aspects that have become widely used when trying to prove Gods existence and nature. The reader finds this article informative and capable of reshaping the nature of both natural and religious thought. This article is selected since it offers concrete evidences and arguments that expose St. Aquinas positions regarding the nature and presence of a living God. The thought can guide and encourage modern-day scholars to address the problems affecting a wide range of problems today, including COVID-19.

Wojtysiak, J. R. (2018). Two epistemological arguments for the existence of God. European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 10(1), 21-30. 

The author of this article focuses on the most appropriate approaches to support the existence of God. The emerging evidence is that he uses a philosophical approach to explain and describe the nature of knowledge in the world today. The reader will be compelled to focus on the presented ideas and consider the simple idea that a great power exists in the universe that controls all things or happenings. With this kind of understanding, it becomes quite clear that the source is informative and capable of presenting the views Reiner provides regarding the selected question (Wojtysiak, 2018). The ideas are also essential for expanding the current discussion and describing how a single source of power exists that continues to guide religious beliefs and life as a whole.

Brett, M., & Goroncy, J. (2020). Creation, God, and the coronavirus. Theology, 123(5), 346-352. 

In this article, the authors reveal that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a contemporary issue that can compel more people to start focusing on the nature of creation. However, the researchers rely on such a pandemic to describe how and why Christian believers should read the scriptures from an informed perspective. They should do so and avoid concentrating on the origins of crises in the universe. Instead, they should be keen to help each other and consider the power of Gods healing and justice (Brett & Goroncy, 2020). The information is informative and capable of supporting the advancement of the targeted research topic. The article does a great job by analyzing the true nature of God and explaining how He orders and controls all the things and events in the universe.

In 2020, the world faced a new virus, which appeared to be a health threat to the population. The disease received the name COVID-19, and caused a catastrophic reaction of people, despite the deadly outcomes. Many sources refer to this phenomenon as the social absurdity (Banerjee et al., 2020, para. 1). The reaction of the population contributed to the chaos and interfered with measures aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. The whole situation reminded people about a famous novel of a French writer Albert Camus The Plague, which was written in the late 1940s. The story told about an infection, destroying a big part of a towns population as if the author knew exactly what would happen in the future. In his book, Camus spoke about pestilence, quarantine, untreatable illness, a cratering economy, citizens cowering in their homes, and frontline workers willing to sacrifice themselves for their neighbors (Totten, 2020, para. 1). During this pandemic, the society discusses the philosophical roots of the current situation, comparing it to the events of the novel, to find solutions, based on existentialism and positive psychology theories.

Albert Camuss novel The Plague was found to be one of the greatest works of that time. According to numerous media, it is considered to serve as a guide to surviving a pandemic (White, 2020, para. 1). Moreover, it appeared to predict the behavior of people during this period. In the book, the author states that habits are initially lost, but when the infection ceases they tend to return (Camus, 1948). It might be interpreted as an inevitable act, disrupting an accustomed way of existence, pointing at the eternal truth of death transforming the habitual life into that of absurdity (Banerjee, 2020, para. 3). This situation is characterized by an innate fear of the sudden end, which is the origin of this behavioral phenomenon during the time of any pandemic.

Today, the existence of the illness, which affected the whole world, is proven. Stress appears to be a normal reaction to such circumstances, however, the response was exaggerated, as it resulted in a mass hysteria, caused by a fear of uncertainty and isolation (Benerjee et al., 2020). Based on the past infections outbursts, historians claim that they almost always unfold as social dramas (Benerjee et al., 2020, para. 4). According to the existentialism theory, in the future this absurdity has to rise out of the conflict between the constant search for meaning in life versus the apparent nothingness of the universe (Banerjee et al., 2020, para. 3). A reaction to this event is individualized, as the answer to any grief, and may result in different variations of denial, which may manifest itself through various forms, such as anger, frustration, or dissociation. The measures of social distancing, required to keep the virus from spreading, also contribute to the mental health of the population, especially increasing the pre-existent problems of people.

However, people tend to have different attitudes toward the illness and the current situation. It is proven that the fear of death is proportional to the social class structure. Thus, the higher socio-economic class continues to have higher acute death anxiety, knowing well that COVID-19 is not a fatal infection (Benerjee et al., 2020, para. 5). This position, claiming that only the strongest will survive, often results in chaos, the increase in unemployment, poverty, and criminality, which impact the life of the society more than the disease. Moreover, the influence of social distancing on mental health can also be proved by its social determinants, famously defined as circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age (Basu, 2020, p. 53). These factors are impacted by the distribution of power, money, and resources at local and global levels.

During times of a pandemic, loneliness and nostalgia become the dominant emotions, making people desire to live in any other time but the present. In The Plague, the mental condition of a person encountering the situation of a pandemic is shown with the help of the narrator in the story, doctor Bernard Rieux, whose duty is to help people cope with their sufferings. He experiences the same mental processes as all the other characters from the story, and today many people all over the world share the same feelings. The first state everyone encounters is indifference, later developing into understanding, followed by a period of denial, which, in turn, leads to dread and resignation. Being a doctor, Rieux understands all the seriousness of the situation, however, at first, he tries to negate it by telling himself that plague is an old disease, which has long been gone. This character is one of the connections of the novel with the current situation in the world, as he demonstrates typical human psychology, and all the inner disturbances, which appear during these difficult times.

It can be argued that Camus pictured the events through the lens of colonialism, as an opposition to the existing political ideologies of those times. However, many themes resonate with the current global situation, including peoples feelings, numerous aspects of social distancing, the vulnerabilities of the medical workers, and the state of chaos. Today, people all over the world find themselves plagued as the population of the town in Camuss novel. The author states that there have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise (Camus, 1948, p. 34). Such a catastrophe is difficult for people all the time. In the book, Camus described the state of the community as the whole town lived as if it had no future (Camus, 1948, p. 234). During the coronavirus pandemic, many individuals share the same feelings, as people feel unsafe and uncertain about their further stability.

In the novel, doctor Rieux is even ready to lie to the public about illness being not the plague to calm the worries down. It proves the idea that in such situations initial denials are always expected from governments. For example, during the times of the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918, most governments, including the one of the United States, never made a public announcement about the disease (Totten, 2020). Probably, it can be related to the current situation with COVID-19 as well, as many governments and organizations believe that the authorities of China have been locking up the information about the threat for a few months before it became known to the world.

Measures, targeted at preventing the disease from spreading further, also remind about the current situation. In the novel, when citizens are finally told that the disease is the plague, they are advised to maintain strict hygiene and bring the fact of the fleas bites to the notion of the authorities. However, these measures are not sufficient, so the government has to accept an ultimate solution: proclaim a state of plague and close down the town (Camus, 1948, p. 59). The characters of The Plague appeared to be trapped, as security forces surrounded the town without any warning. Going outside was considered dangerous, leading to a lockdown, which is now familiar to most of the communities. In the novel, the situation is called exile in ones own home (Camus, 1948, p. 67). It is also important to remember that the events of the novel took place in the century, when technologies, such as smartphones or Skype, did not exist, thus, making the situation today easier for people.

The factor, contributing most to the global state of fear, is that the infection is not known to science, and is extremely contagious, causing a feeling of danger, and expectations of an effective medication appearance. It is important to understand that the COVID-19 is not similar to the bubonic plague, as its lethal rates were much higher than those of the coronavirus. The pneumonic form of the disease of that time was almost untreatable and killed between 30 to 90 percent of its victims (Totten, 2020). In the novel, Rieux cannot cure patients because he does not have serum, and when he obtains it, it does not work properly. Today, doctors have similar problems, as they cannot treat the disease because it is not a bacterium, thus, antibiotics are not efficient.

Moreover, Albert Camus in The Plague affirms that knowledge and beliefs are the important consequences, which people acquire after winning the fight. According to the Terror Management Theory (TMT), increased death terror during global threats shape society and acculturate the world (Benerjee et al., 2020, para. 8). Acceptance can help change public perception and develop positivism and flexibility. Any crisis requires lessons to be learned and tends to be followed by an increase in life quality. Catastrophes also allow people to manage stress, changing individual perception and behavior patterns. There needs to be a balance between unrealistic optimism and panic-driven fear of extermination (Benerjee et al., 2020, para. 10). In the end, this state of anxiety can help to change the cognitions to self-consciousness. Moreover, the novel also highlights the benefits of this situation for nature, as, during the isolation, it is coming back to life as the air becomes clearer, and rare species of animals and plants reappear. It makes The Plague a tale of lessons learned from the sufferings, and not a story of despair, helping the communities to believe the battle will be won.

In conclusion, the novel of Albert Camus contains many themes, resembling the current situation in the world. Today, people begin to address the tale again to find solutions. The author provides readers with numerous advice and explanations, telling that the current overwhelming feelings and emotions are typical for such a critical situation, thus, helping to facilitate global anxiety. Moreover, these sufferings are useful for future progress, as this state grows into deep understanding, allowing a person to grow, and change their perception and behaviors towards consciousness. The writer implies that any catastrophe has the purpose of teaching people a certain lesson, which will later result in quality of life improvement. Camuss theory suggests that crisis is beneficial both for humans and for nature, which has a chance to become better while people are being isolated. The events of the modern pandemic have certainly inflicted much damage to the economy, as well as to the mental health of the society, However, The Plague, being not only a tale of despair, but a story of survival, tells us not to abandon hope.

References

Banerjee, D., Sathyanarayana Rao, T.S., Kallivayalil, R.A. & Javed, A. (2020). Revisiting The Plague by Camus: Shaping the social absurdity of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 54. Web.

Basu, D. (2020). The Plague by Albert Camus, the COVID19 Pandemic, and the role of social psychiatry  lessons shared, lessons learned. World Social Psychiatry, 2(2), 50-56. Web.

Camus, A. (1948). The Plague. (Gilbert, S., Trans.). The Modern Library: New York. (Original work published in 1947)

Totten, M. J. (2020). The enduring relevance of the plague. Albert Camuss postwar novel captures the existential dread of contagion. City Journal. Web.

White, D. (2020). Common decency and new conditions of life: The Albert Camus guide to surviving a pandemic. The Daily Telegraph. Web.

The public hearing was a session held by the House Committee on Veterans Affairs during which the state of things regarding telehealth provision at VA was discussed. The primary notion was that because of the pandemic, VA as an organization as well as its facilities and providers had to rapidly adjust to the realities of the pandemic and expand its telehealth and digital offerings. This ranged from primary care to mental health and specialty care as well. In the context of the pandemic, one of the significant issues was vulnerable populations such as minorities or veterans are experiencing even greater challenges, particularly in mental health, as well as reduced access to vital care. Telehealth expansion, modernization, and integration has helped to address some of the concerns.

One of the repeated themes during the hearing, stemming from both experts and members of the committee was that telehealth expansion has occurred and should continue to be built upon reliable and existing technological infrastructure and relationships. This means using reliable and tested technology as well as ensuring there is a prior relationship established between the patient and the provider if possible. Also, multiple barriers and challenges were discussed in the process as well. These included technological challenges and incompatibilities, digital literacy, lack of capacity and time of medical staff, need for workforce expansion and training in this area (including devising new protocols). Furthermore, other areas of concern are bringing the service to rural areas and serving vulnerable populations who may not have access to technology (homeless, poor), greater emphasis on mental health, necessity for funding, and developing additional tools for enhancement of the telehealth experience (House Committee on Veterans Affairs, 2020).

The proposed topic of study is focusing on the telehealth concept in modern medicine, both while the pandemic is ongoing and potentially into the future as an element of improving access and reducing healthcare costs. As evident by the hearing, telehealth is a multifaceted healthcare provision factor which continues to face multiple challenges that have to be addressed through policy, adoption of new evidence-based practices, and evolvement of technological capacity. As part of the research, these various aspects of challenges currently being faced and possible solutions for future innovation and benefits from a healthcare and policy perspective can be discussed.

Reference

House Committee on Veterans Affairs. (2020). Subcommittee on health and technology modernization joint hearing: VA telehealth during COVID-19 [Video file]. YouTube.

Almost everyone is a victim of the COVID-19 virus, either indirectly or directly. Combating the factors that facilitated its spread would have made the fight against the novel virus use up fewer resources and affect Americans lives to a minimal extent. Unfortunately, the disease has happened in two waves with the highest number of infections recorded on 26 March 2020 (Thunstrom et al. 2). Ignorance, selfishness, and anti-masker theory facilitated the spread of the virus at different stages of the pandemic throughout the world. Ignorance played a pivotal role in the rise of COVID-19 infections in the United States. During the initial stages of the pandemic, Most Americans started calling it the new virus of China.

Constant reference to the disease as the China virus fooled many people in the country (both on social media and others as they carried on with their daily activities) into thinking that they were safe. At first, the Chinese government tried to cover up the disease. Infection cases outside China began rising, and people started referring to the disease as the virus of Chinese. Chinese walking on the street in February last year underwent stigmatization. Other Native Americans made inappropriate jokes about them and people would run away whenever a Chinese coughed within their vicinity. This misconception encouraged recklessness, which exposed several Americans to potentially being infected with the virus.

People accepted these misconceptions even with the knowledge that they were equally as susceptible as people of Chinese descent. They felt a sense of safety when walking in areas that did not have anyone of Chinese descent. Four months after the first case of COVID-19 was reported, people started remarking on the low mortality and infection rate of COVID-19. They believed that the disease had a high prevalence in older people and did not affect the young generation (Thunström et al. 2).

The obliviousness was deep; to others, the virus was receiving unjustified attention from the government. They believed that the disease was no as lethal as the government claimed and the efforts should be channeled to other diseases, which cause a higher mortality rate. Additionally, some claimed that the infection was due to the irradiation from 5G masts and the virus infection was just a cover-up story to divert attention. Another group believed the virus was intentionally made in a laboratory and then released into the population. There were several conspiracy theories, which blinded people to reality. People who lacked insurance covers avoided testing and used willful ignorance to mask the anxiety of diagnosis. Selfish behaviors also facilitated the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Republicans had a 13% less chance of getting tested (Thunstrom 14).

People would sneak into secret parties even after they were highly discouraged by the state. Other self-centered behaviors included people escaping to the countryside and failing to follow the health guidelines. These selfish acts served to satisfy ones interest without considering the peril accompanying the actions (Thunström et al. 2). The anti-masker theory encouraged some people to shun their masks leaving them exposed. Some used the excuse that masks interfered with their breathing while others perceived them to be ineffective. These anti-masker theories destabilized the governments prevention efforts. The anti-masker theory, self-centeredness, and unawareness negatively influenced American life by contributing to the emergence of the second wave of infection.

Work Cited

Thunström, Linda, et al. Testing for COVID-19: Willful Ignorance or Selfless Behavior? Behavioural Public Policy vol. 5, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1-18.

Introduction

The article by Steve Benen discusses the erroneous predictions that various people made about Obamacare five years after it was signed. The author notes that before its signing, the policy was described as a great success in transforming the American healthcare industry. However, few people expected the legislation to exceed expectations and lower the number of uninsured Americans by a third. The success of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is proof that President Obamas government made significant strides toward providing health security for all Americans. However, there were some skeptical people who predicted its failure. The Coronavirus crisis has compelled the government to make some changes in order to mitigate the health emergency. Although many of the waivers on testing, treatment, and telemedicine are temporary, plans are underway to make them permanent.

Article Summary

One of the predictions that turned out to be wrong was the argument that Americans would decline calls for enrollment in the ACA. Republicans argued that Democrats were misguided regarding their estimation of the demand for health coverage among Americans. They stated that people would not sign up for coverage under the policy because of their mistrust of the government. However, many families enrolled in the program in order to enjoy its numerous benefits. Furthermore, they argued that it would not meet its enrollment goals. On the contrary, for two years in a row, more people than the Obama administration had projected registered.

Conservatives opposed the policy because they were convinced that private insurers would refrain from working with the government. One of their predictions was that they would refuse to take part in the Acts exchange marketplaces (Benen, 2015). However, since the implementation of the law, private insurers have worked together with the government in offering coverage to the uninsured. Certain members of the Republican Party believed that the ACA would affect the economy negatively as it would increase the rate of unemployment and alter job creation (Benen, 2015). However, analysts revealed that in 2014, the first full year for the policys implementation, more jobs were created in America compared to the 1990s. The rate of unemployment decreased, and no evidence could be found to show that the ACA had negatively affected the economy.

The success of the policy after its implementation angered individuals who had predicted its failure. Therefore, they downplayed the achievements by claiming that the number of enrolments was meaningless because Americans would not pay their premiums (Benen, 2015). They were wrong because the majority of those who registered submitted their payments in a timely manner. They further argued that even if people paid their insurance premiums, the payments would soar because the structure of the ACA was faulty. Five years after its implementation, the premiums have not increased, and more people are registering for coverage.

The issues of the overall coverage and the ACAs impact on mitigating the high number of uninsured Americans were hotly debated. Opponents of the legislation downplayed its importance by claiming that it would only help people who were already insured (Wilensky & Teitelbaum, 2020). In that regard, it would not reduce the number of uninsured Americans. This prediction was wrong because surveys revealed that the uninsured rate dropped by approximately 33 percent during the first 5 years of the policys operation (Benen, 2015). There were claims that the ACA would be counterproductive because it would result in a net loss with regard to overall coverage. It would terminate coverage for more people than it would provide. This argument was flawed as the Act expanded coverage to many uninsured people.

Opponents of the ACA also predicted that the policy would cause higher deficits and destabilize Americas fiscal footing. The Obama administration had projected that the Act would reduce the USAs deficit by billions of dollars after its implementation (Benen, 2015). However, Republicans were in disagreement and opposed it vehemently. They told the people that the Act would inflate the nations deficit and run the country into bankruptcy. However, the Congressional Budget Office revealed that Republicans were wrong because the ACAs cost is less than the initial estimate (Benen, 2015). The rates of customer satisfaction surprised Republicans because they expected people to express their dissatisfaction. Polls have shown that people give positive reviews for the services that they receive through government exchanges. Only 9 percent of the people interviewed rated the services they received as poor (Benen, 2015). Opponents of the ACA were wrong about the majority of the predictions they made. Despite the policys success, Republicans who opposed it vehemently are yet to offer public apologies for their misleading predictions. They are spending time searching for ways on how to repeal the legislation that has increased insurance coverage among Americans.

Medicare and COVID-19

The government has implemented several changes to Medicare in response to the Coronavirus crisis. Trumps administration and Congress have made several changes to Medicare regulations in order to enhance the systems flexibility toward responding to COVID-19. They have taken place in several areas, including testing, treatment, telemedicine, extended medication supplies, and vaccines among others (Podulka & Blum, 2020). Regulations that have been waived play key public policy functions that are aimed at promoting the effectiveness of Medicare. They include deterring fraud and overuse, enhancing beneficiaries access to key items and services, shielding patients from serious harm, and guaranteeing that providers focus primarily on the safety of patients (Podulka & Blum, 2020). The regulatory changes are temporary. However, CMS announced that it was working on making some of them permanent.

Testing and Treatment

Any testing related to COVID-19 is covered under Part B, only if ordered by a health care provider or physician. In that regard, patients who receive the service are not required to pay any deductibles or co-insurance premiums (Podulka & Blum, 2020). The change eliminates the costs for services received in any form of testing. For example, visits to a physician or an outpatient facility are free (Miller, 2020). Moreover, if a Medicare patient is quarantined in a hospital, they will not be required to make additional payments for the services.

Telemedicine

An important change has been made in the provision of telemedicine services to the programs beneficiaries within the United States. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has scraped off a clause that required providers of telemedicine to offer services only to patients that they had served in the past three years (Podulka & Blum, 2020). Reimbursement for telehealth has been allowed temporarily for services like physician supervision and telephone visits. The legislation also allows hospitals to temporarily offer services in expansion sites, patients homes, and other facilities.

Other Changes

Other key changes include the creation of alternative care sites, waiver of participation conditions, expanded testing, safety requirements, as well as reporting and audit requirements. Alternative care sites have been established in order to create capacity for handling an increase in COVID-19 cases (Miller, 2020). Care is not limited to hospitals and designated healthcare facilities. Traditionally, patients were required to meet certain requirements in order to participate in Medicare (Wilensky & Teitelbaum, 2020). Currently, numerous requirements have been waived in order to improve access to Medicare services. Testing has also been expanded in order to improve diagnosis at the newly-created alternative sites. The government has also made changes to pause audit activity and provisionally stop the collection of certain information (Miller, 2020). The new reporting protocols will ensure that the healthcare system receives more information that will be useful in mitigating health emergencies.

Conclusion

The implementation of the ACA in 2015 was conducted amidst strong opposition from Republicans who claimed that the legislation would do more harm than good. They downplayed its importance, projected its failure, and claimed that it would have adverse effects on the economy. Their predictions were wrong because five years after it was signed into law, the uninsured rate dropped tremendously, Americans enrolled in large numbers, the economy grew significantly, and premiums did not soar as anticipated. The debate has morphed into a shouting engagement between proponents who give the reasons for the ACAs success and opponents who continued to disparage it out of habit. The COVID-19 pandemic was unexpected, and the US government was compelled to make several changes to Medicare/Medicaid. The Trump administration and Congress implemented several temporary regulatory changes that were aimed at mitigating the health emergency. Critics have applauded the modifications that the CMS plans on making permanent. However, the risks that they pose have raised concerns with regard to their effectiveness.

References

Benen, S. (2015). 5 years later, Obamacare critics cant believe their lying eyes. MSNBC. Web.

Miller, M. (2020). Medicare is updating coverage to help in the Coronavirus crisis. The New York Times. Web.

Podulka, J., & Blum, J. (2020). Regulatory changes to Medicare in response to COVID-19. The Commonwealth Fund. Web.

Wilensky, S. E., & Teitelbaum, J. B. (2020). Essentials of health policy and law (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett.

The article embarks on a randomized and controlled assessment of participants safety and immunogenicity in an adenovirus type-5 covid-19 vaccine. The research aimed to establish the appropriate dosage for the trial injection for an effective study. The researchers carried out the randomized experimental procedure for the vaccine in Wuhan, China, among adults aged eighteen and older without a preexisting respiratory disease. The clinical trial endpoint for the evaluation of safety highlighted incidences of adverse reactions within fourteen days (Zhu et al., 2020). Among the participating volunteers, there was a significant neutralizing of the antibody response after taking the dose. There was a noted interferon Y enzyme-associated with immunoprotein test response after the dosage in 227 of the participants. Besides, 183 partakers had solicited adverse reactions, and there was a severe reaction among 24 candidates to the medication. However, there were no critical reactions documented. Therefore, the Ad5-vectored Covid-19 vaccine was found to be safe because it induced an essential immune response among most immunization recipients.

The research tenets are imperative in helping nurses and medical practitioners while making clinical trials for the right calculation of the dosage of coronavirus vaccines. Indeed, the administration of treatment and disease management options need to focus on patients safety rather than the urgency of the effectiveness of the medicine (Zhu et al., 2020). When administered in the right proportion, the vaccine increases immunity response to the virus, thus helping physicians to determine the future implication of the inquiry on medical trials for immunizations. It is crucial to consider the limitations in this research such as all the participants coming from one location, lack of calculating the sample size on power advance, and the varying of antibodies among people because of their geographical differences while contemplating on using the findings of the research for practical purposes.

Reference

Zhu, F., Guan, X., Li, Y., Huang, J., Jiang, T., & Hou, L. et al. (2020). Immunogenicity and safety of a recombinant adenovirus type-5-vectored COVID-19 vaccine in healthy adults aged 18 years or older: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial. The Lancet, 396(10249), 479-488. Web.

Introduction

Historically, people have always encountered pandemics which led to numerous deaths; they were difficult to contain and lasted for several years. The COVID-19 pandemic became the first event in the twenty-first century that disrupted healthcare services worldwide. Today, official statistics which track new cases of the virus show that there is a total of more than three million deaths caused by the COVID-19 around the world (WHO, n.d.). Therefore, I will list the risks of COVID-19, and the impact of the pandemic on countries and will present arguments in support of vaccination.

Body

COVID-19 can be officially recognized as one of the deadliest viruses in history, but it also entails numerous health risks for people who manage to survive it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the common post-COVID conditions is a multisystem inflammatory syndrome that leads to swollen organs (Post-COVID, 2021). There are also accounts of people losing their smell and taste, as well as sight.

1. Several reports state that patients who had a severe course of COVID-19 developed different conditions, which negatively affected their ability to see (Solomon, 2021).
2. Here is a list of all possible side-effects which can follow after the contraction of the virus; I will pass it around to the class.

Thus, it is essential that people start treatment immediately after being infected with COVID-19.

When speaking of the pandemic, people tend to focus on its economic outcome, but it also affects the health of individuals who did not get infected. The pandemic forced states to introduce lockdowns which eventually caused businesses to close and dismiss workers, thus leaving people without income sources. Yet, an increase in unemployment was not the only consequence of the pandemic since it also affected the mental health of thousands of individuals. Statistics demonstrate that there was substantial growth in the number of people reporting depression, anxiety, and substance abuse (Panchal et al., 2021)

The trials of various vaccines have allowed companies that developed them to produce evidence in support of their effectiveness. For instance, Pfizer-BioNTech, one of the most successful vaccines in existence, has demonstrated more than ninety percent efficacy (Katella, 2021). Nevertheless, there is a belief among certain groups that vaccines can kill people, even those who do not have the disease. Yet, there are currently no data that would prove the adverse effects of vaccines on peoples health.

Conclusion

You have learned about the dangers associated with COVID-19, its possible side effects, as well as the negative consequences of the pandemic, and the situation can only be resolved with the help of voluntary mass vaccination. If, after listening to the speech, you still have questions or doubt the viability of vaccines, you are welcome to visit the official website of the World Health Organization for more information.

Works Cited

Katella, K. (2021). Comparing the COVID-19 vaccines: How are they different? Yale Medicine. Web.

Panchal, N., Kamal, R., Cox, C., & Garfield, R. (2021, February 10). The implications of COVID-19 for mental health and substance use. The Kaiser Family Foundation. Web.

Post-COVID conditions. (2021). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.

Solomon, R. (2021). Does COVID-19 lead to vision loss? American Academy of Ophthalmology. Web.

WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard. (n.d.). World Health Organization. 2021, Web.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is impossible to have end-of-life person-centric treatment at home and in care homes. Visors and facemasks users find it challenging to read or hear soft vocal sounds and crucial instruments for empathic communication. The pandemic has put a tremendous burden on the resources of treatment. In connection with the change of operations, the excerpt describes the endoflife caring regarding the COVID-19 victims, which falls under the community based on district nursing teams.

District nursing teams adapted to the pandemic with tremendous versatility, ingenuity, and pragmatism, prioritizing end-of-life treatment and quickly extending their workload to satisfy home-care demand. While practical guidance and advice are not missing, providing palliative care in the community during pandemics is driven by minimal research data (Wynne et al., 2020). General practitioners and palliative care professionals can proceed to mostly remote appointments. Any primary health care worker or general practitioner visits a home on camera to allow collaborative evaluations (Hancock et al., 2019). To promote patient and expert nursing examinations, including face-to-face professional assessment where appropriate, comprehensive local programs should be implemented throughout the pandemic.

The number of people who die at home has risen dramatically over a couple of months. Medicines should now be digitally administered, and directions sent electronically can assist the district nursing teams (Cavallo et al., 2020). As the teams await the creation of new treatments to avoid viral infections, all dying patients must continue to receive specialist treatments. Consequently, the medical squad must be flexible, creative, and open to new approaches and realistic models to adapt to the challenge.

References

Cavallo, J. J., Donoho, D. A., & Forman, H. P. (2020). Hospital capacity and operations in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: Planning for the nth patient. JAMA Health Forum, 1(3), 200345. Web.

Hancock, S., Preston, N., Jones, H., & Gadoud, A. (2019). Telehealth in palliative care is being described but not evaluated: A systematic review. BMC Palliative Care, 18(1), 114. Web.

Wynne, K. J., Petrova, M., & Coghlan, R. (2020). Dying individuals and suffering populations: Applying a population-level bioethics lens to palliative care in humanitarian contexts: Before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Medical Ethics, 46(8), 514525. Web.

Many variables can impact resilience; however, some significant ones incorporate a persons adaptation to stress. The research around the impacts of COVID-19 reveal that a larger part of individuals has reported a negative effect on their psychological well-being because of COVID-19 (Liu et al., 2021). Nonetheless, there are few examinations that observe the pandemics role in stress response. In this way, the point of the research is to examine the connection between COVID-19 related pressure and grounded factors that impact resilience. The participation in the study brought my commitment to a profoundly complex and persuading research insight.

The research method was an online survey where people could sign in and share their experience and well-being during lockdown. There was a limited human error since there is a diminished possibility of distortion of replies for online questionnaires, especially in contrast with personal interviews (Jones, 2017). With web overviews, information entered by respondents can go straightforwardly for review. The questioners electronic presence appears to impact peoples replies seldom (Jones, 2017). The exploration question was drawn successfully by fundamentally surveying the legitimacy of acquired information and evaluating the strategy. The survey questions were viably constructed, a functional approach was utilized to direct the review, and the examination discoveries were analyzed.

The scientists tried to avoid inclination in any part of the examination, including plan, information investigation, and interpretation. For instance, we attempted to guarantee that no gatherings are excluded from our study. I believe that the online survey did not bring discomfort to any religion or culture as it was conducted online, and the questions excluded any prejudice. Since the participants responses contained personal information and experiences, we were cautious about securing the data, and this information was coded. I find my participation valuable to develop processing skills and gather information on investigations.

References

Jones, M. (2017). A research experience collecting data online: Advantages and barriers. Creative Nursing, 23(4), 266270.

Liu, S., Lithopoulos, A., Zhang, C.-Q., Garcia-Barrera, M. A., & Rhodes, R. E. (2021). Personality and perceived stress during COVID-19 pandemic: Testing the mediating role of perceived threat and efficacy. Personality and Individual Differences, 168, 16.