Category: COVID-19

Introduction

The coronavirus disease is a respiratory infection that is believed to spread from one person to another, especially if they are in close contact (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020). When an infected person sneezes or coughs, droplets are produced, which may land on the noses and mouths of people nearby or be inhaled directly, thereby infecting them (Zhang et al., 2020). Infected persons, even the asymptomatic ones, can emit aerosols while breathing or speaking. If one is infected with the virus, then another individual can inhale these aerosols and contract the virus.

There are different ways to prevent or reduce the spread of the virus among the population. Among these ways is contact tracing, whereby people coming into proximity with an infected person are quickly identified and quarantined immediately before spreading the disease further (Xiao & Torok, 2020). Social distancing is another means that can be used in preventing the spread of the virus (Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 2020). In social distancing, people are required to maintain a distance between one another, a distance in which the droplets can travel when one sneezes or coughs, preferably six feet apart.

Wearing a face mask out in public can also be used in preventing people from contracting the virus (Zhang et al., 2020). The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended people wear surgical or nonsurgical masks when out in public. A mask is worn to prevent one from inhaling airborne microorganisms since they remain in the air for a couple of hours. Even though the N95 type of masks is the most effective, the medical institutions recommend the public to reserve them for the health workers considering their lives are on the line while attending to coronavirus patients.

The Problem

For the last seven months, the world has been dealing with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. The disease is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak started in Wuhan, China, in September 2019, before spreading around the globe with the current data showing that to date, close to 16 million people have been infected in 188 countries with over 643,800 reported deaths (John Hopkins University, 2020). This disease is highly infectious, and thus it spreads fast through close contact when small droplets produced through talking, sneezing, and coughing are transmitted from an infected person to another individual. The droplets could also fall on different surfaces, and the virus could remain active for a given period depending on the nature of the materials.

Therefore, people could become infected if they touch such surfaces and proceed to touch their faces, noses, or mouths. Recent studies have also shown that the droplets could remain suspended in the air for some time, which means they could be inhaled, leading to infection (Stadnytskyi et al., 2020). The virus remains highly contagious for the first three days after an infected person becomes symptomatic, and this understanding informs the various prevention strategies that have been put in place to ensure the safety of populations. This paper discusses the population demographics of those affected by Covid-19 in the US, the current initiatives that have been enacted to protect populations, the involved agencies, and funding sources coupled with how DNP could utilize this information in the capstone project.

Population Demographics

Covid-19 affects people of all genders and across all ages. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2020), older adults and people with underlying medical conditions are more vulnerable to infection as compared to other population cohorts. The functionality of various body systems, including the immune system, decreases with age, which makes it a risk factor in Covid-19. Similarly, people with underlying medical conditions could have compromised immunity, thus making them highly susceptible to infections and death. According to a study by Wortham et al. (2020), out of a sample of 10,647 people who died of Covid-19 in the US, those aged over 65 years accounted for over 74.8 per cent, and at least one underlying medical condition was present in 76.4 per cent of the total cases. The condition disproportionately affects men accounting for 60.6 per cent of deaths reported in the above sample (Wortham et al., 2020). Additionally, CDC (2020) states that other at-risk groups in the population include racial and ethnic minorities, those living in rural areas, the homeless, breastfeeding and pregnant mothers, those with disabilities, and people with behavioral and developmental disorders.

Current Initiatives to Prevent the Spread of Covid-19

The US government, in collaboration with the relevant agencies, has come up with a raft of measures to ensure population safety and health. The first step that the government took was to sensitize people to sanitize their hands through frequent washing of hands with soap. In case water and soap are unavailable, people are advised to use hand sanitizers. The aim is to ensure that if a contact has been made with the virus from various places, it is effectively washed to avoid infection. The second measure undertaken is that of social distancing. In public spaces, it is a requirement for people to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from one another. In addition, people are required to wear facemasks when in public spaces, especially in cases whereby maintaining the recommended social distancing is not possible. The masks are supposed to cover the mouth and noses to achieve two functions. First, when people sneeze, talk, or cough, the resulting droplets are contained within the mask, thus preventing transmission. Second, when the mouth and noses are covered, a person would not inhale droplets from various sources.

Additionally, different state governments in the US took radical measures, including closing down places where people are likely to be congested. Schools, places of worship, malls, and other related areas have been shut down. In most cities, total lockdowns were imposed, and authorities asked people to stay at home. Only those involved in the provision of essential services were allowed to leave their houses. The concept behind these measures was to prevent the transmission of the virus and stop new infections, which would effectively flatten the infection curve. Normally, the virus takes 14 days for an infected person to become symptomatic. Therefore, it was assumed that within the first 14 days of lockdown, those infected would have shown first symptoms and isolated from the population for specialized treatment. As such, new cases would be minimal, leading to the reopening of the economy.

Agencies Involved in the Fight against Covid-19

In the US, the fight against Coid-19 is a multiagency collaboration effort involving various agencies drawn from both the federal government and the private sector. Some of the federal agencies and departments involved in this fight include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Director of National Intelligence, Drug Enforcement Administration Diversion Control Division, Food and Drug Administration, National Institute of Health, and White House, among other related bodies. Additionally, various private entities, including philanthropic organizations, multilateral and bilateral donors, and development banks, have come together to contribute to this fight in different ways, including donating medical equipment and giving financial assistance. The US government is the leading financier of this fight having allocated more than $130 billion to hospitals and other healthcare providers and extended over $150 billion in grants to local governments (US Department of Health & Human Services, 2020). The monies given are geared toward creating awareness, enforcing preventing regulations, and buying protective equipment, among other related initiatives to ensure that the public is assured of its safety and health.

The Justice, Legal, and Regulatory Effects of COVID-19

The impact of COVID-19 must be analyzed in consideration with various components, including justice, legal, regulatory, data, and advanced practice issues. First, the criminal justice system has been affected by COVID-19, which brought several difficult decisions. The central dilemma is connected to the preservation of public safety. Most scholars have predicted that coronavirus will stimulate increases in certain types of crimes, including domestic violence and online fraud (Miller & Blumstein, 2020). However, other offenses, such as residential burglary, will decline, bringing new challenges to the justice apparatus.

Furthermore, the United States government took different legal and regulatory actions while responding to COVID-19. Such legal and regulatory interventions involve intensive domestic and international travel constraints (Mello & Haffajee, 2020). Additionally, recent regulations include stay-home recommendations and social distancing. On the 27th of March, all fifty states had declared the Covid-19 virus as an emergency. After that, the executive power appeared to be particularly strong, as regulation varied from interrupting standard business processes to limiting movement and civil liberties.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a threat to the planet, data gathering is especially important. An effective way of data gathering is urgently required to comprehend the spread of the virus and discover the part of the population infected both in the United States and globally. Moreover, data is used in the case fatality rate (CFR) and infection fatality rate (IFR) for every age group of the population (Szapudi, 2020). In most countries, including the United States, only people with symptoms are tested. Thus, the primary issue is the cost and accessibility of the PCR tests for the COVID-19.

Moreover, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has put additional constraints on all healthcare specialists, including doctors and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). Medical professionals main goal is to provide appropriate care to patients in unique ways that were not applicable in usual circumstances. Some of the main challenges are avoiding overload in intensive care units (ICUs), preventing the spread of the infection, and educating individuals on the most suitable practices in a quickly evolving environment (Diez-Sampedro, 2020). COVID-19 is highly contagious; thus, APRNs need to consider various issues, including the need for personal protective equipment (PPE), new regulations, testing guidelines, and more.

Moreover, global health is vital in both worldwide safety and the U.S. populations security. Therefore, the discussion about justice, regulation, and data gathering are particularly crucial in the context of Healthy People 2020 objectives. In particular, the objective GH-3, which advocates for the expansion of Global Disease Detection (GDD) Regional Centers, as they help to identify and contain possible health emergencies (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2020). Moreover, the objective GH-5, arguing for the promotion of testing capacities from GDD Regional Centers, is especially actual as data gathering is one of the central issues in the context of a global pandemic (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2020). Overall, the COVID-19 crisis had drawn the attention of medical specialists and political leaders worldwide to the need for cooperation.

Legally, the focus of COVID19 limiting policies centers around the concept of containment. Various mandates enforced social distancing, differing from state to state, that limited the number of people in a given public area. Furthermore, individual businesses were designated as essential or nonessential, influencing whether they could remain open (Miller & Blumstein, 2020). However, the United States lacks a unified national strategy, with a different implementation of containment strategies across various cities and states (Miller & Blumstein, 2020). The Federal government has only provided guidelines that states are free to use or adjust at need.

Determining the effectiveness of various state legal responses is difficult, as the conditions and severity of the outbreak are not evenly distributed across the United States. California was one of the first states to issue shelter-in-place orders (Friedson et al., 2020). A preliminary study conducted in California found that shelter-in-place did have limited but positive short-term effects, including a one to three percent reduction in mortality rates (Friedson et al., 2020). However, interstate travel is still often allowed, limiting the study of the effects of containment policies.

Overall, the Federal Government of the United States severely lacks a unified strategy. As containment policies were left in the hands of state and city governors, the U.S. response was inconsistent (Mello & Haffajee, 2020). United decisionmaking could help the situation, allowing state governments to coordinate and offset the issues of free travel and patchwork restrictions within the United States. The Defense Production Act could be used to boost test kit production (Mello & Haffajee, 2020). Thus, a stronger Federal response is necessary as state-level containment does not appear to be effective.

Without a strong Federal response, the United States public health system will take the brunt of the issues caused by COVID-19. Large-scale outbreaks can lead to staff shortages in hospitals as human resources are put on overtime to manage the influx of patients. Nurses, in particular, must be especially cautious when dealing with patients to protect themselves from COVID-19 and to limit its spread. Without State or Federal assistance, competition for protective gear may endanger nurses and healthcare workers in different areas.

In conclusion, the justice, regulatory, and legal responses in the United States have been varied. Many states have instituted shelter in place orders and determined which businesses are deemed essential or not. The legal and regulatory orders put out by State governments appear to have limited effectiveness, as the containment response is not unified across the country, and some areas have no travel restrictions. Lack of intensive enough testing inhibits accurate data for some areas. The public health system is likely to be stressed while current infection rates continue, putting nurses at risk.

Review of the Literature

The COVID-19 pandemic poses an extraordinary challenge for healthcare systems around the world. Due to the novel character of the virus causing the disease, no cure is currently available, forcing healthcare providers and policymakers to focus on spread prevention (Güner et al., 2020). Such efforts are stymied by the viruss high transmission rate, with studies suggesting that one afflicted individual may infect two to eight others (Diaz-Quijano et al., 2020, 43). Further complications arise from the widespread asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission, limited herd resistance, and insufficient compliance (Asad et al., 2020). Those difficulties make it critical to assess the effectiveness of commonly employed prevention methods now that sufficient data has been gathered about their results. The present paper will examine the literature on different aspects of transmission prevention, such as social control measures, behavioral adjustments, and the use of protective equipment. The review will encompass primary sources from different countries to ensure a representative and informative sample. This review aims to investigate the current state of scientific knowledge about COVID-19 prevention and identify prospects for further research.

Social control measures for preventing the spread of COVID-19 among the population include the implementation of quarantines and travel restrictions. Quarantines, which involve the separation and observation of potentially infected individuals, have proven to be the single most effective prevention measure. An early study by Nussbaumer-Streit and others indicates that quarantines can almost halve infection and death rates (as cited in Güner et al., 2020, 575). Much of its effectiveness appears to hinge on the early implementation of strict quarantine rules (Güner et al., 2020). Chinas experience containing the initial outbreak presents particular interest, as it involved especially drastic interventions that met with apparent success. Kraemer et al. (2020) have shown that the introduction of travel restrictions in and around Wuhan has disrupted the initial correlation between human mobility and COVID-19 incidence and significantly slowed its spread. Many other countries have since implemented travel restrictions for people arriving from high-risk locations and other risk groups, as well as facilitated testing to identify possible pandemic vectors (Güner et al., 2020). Early identification and the implementation of control measures seem indispensable for effective prevention.

Behavioral adjustments, such as social distancing and adherence to hygienic and sanitary rules, constitute one of the most common interventions carried out to combat the pandemic. Social distancing includes maintaining a maximum distance from others and avoiding large public gatherings. The high transmissibility of the virus necessitates maximum feasible social distancing, including a transition to remote work and study and minimal commercial activities (Diaz-Quijano et al., 2020). The outbreak report of Asad et al. (2020) illustrates the exceptionally high risks of infection that exist in healthcare settings due to the high concentration of COVID-19 patients, including infectious asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individuals. In such and similar cases where meetings cannot be avoided, the thorough observance of hand and cough hygiene is essential for minimizing the risk of human or airborne transmission, respectively (Asad et al., 2020). Cleaning high-touch areas such as door handle with bleach or ethanol solutions also help slow the spread (Güner et al., 2020). The success of behavioral adjustments hinges on maximal adherence to the published rules from the entire community.

The use of protective equipment such as masks, gloves, and respirators has been accepted as a vital preventive measure in healthcare and everyday life. Asad et al. (2020) recommend the liberal use of masks (p. 6) in healthcare settings based on their study of a hospital outbreak. Fisman et al. (2020) confirm the substantial success of masks and other facial protection in reducing the rates of COVID-19 acquisition and transmission, especially in populations with low overall mask usage. An analysis performed by Chu and colleagues supports those findings, suggesting that mask use reduces the risk of viral infection by 85% (as cited in Fisman et al., 2020, p. 5). Hand sanitizer and portable gloves help maintain the abovementioned hygienic and sanitary standards (Güner et al., 2020). As such, the usefulness of protective equipment is not in doubt, though its availability may still pose problems.

Though several months have passed since the start of the pandemic, many of the questions connected to its spread and how it could be contained remain practically unanswered. In the absence of a cure, social control measures such as quarantines present the most promising option for containment, with studies of the early Chinese experience appearing to prove its efficacy. Maximal social distancing is necessary to further slow the spread, with the widespread observance of hygienic and sanitary rules proving indispensable insofar as contact cannot be avoided entirely. The effectiveness of using masks and other protective equipment has likewise been confirmed. Although all of those strategies have proven useful, the exact success rates of specific interventions are inevitably challenging to measure. As the pandemic continues to spread in different countries, more data will become available on the comparative effectiveness of various prevention strategies. More information on the long-term outcomes of prevention measures in countries that were afflicted earlier should emerge over time as well. That should make it possible to refine the current understanding of the utility of various social control measures, behavioral interventions, and protective equipment in pandemics.

Conclusion

Covid-19 has become a global pandemic since it was first reported in November 2019, in Wuhan, China. Currently, its cases have been reported in almost all countries around the globe. The virus enters the body through the mouth, nose, and ears when people make contact with infected droplets. Therefore, to address the problem of rapid transmission, the US government created public health and safety measures, which have been implemented in various states across the country. Lockdowns were enforced in various states to allow people to stay at home, as a strategy of preventing further spread through new infections. Various government agencies, departments, and private sector stakeholders have been involved in this fight. Information gathered in this paper will be important in the capstone project, as it forms the basis upon which the final research will be conducted and developed.

References

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Diaz-Quijano, F. A., Rodriguez-Morales, A. J., & Waldman, E. A. (2020). Translating transmissibility measures into recommendations for coronavirus prevention. Revista de Saude Publica, 54, 43. 

Diez-Sampedro, A., Gonzalez, A., Delgado, V., Flowers, M., Maltseva, T., & Olenick, M. (2020). COVID-19 and advanced practice registered nurses: Frontline update. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 1-5. Web.

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Future Global Tourism Trends

Many sectors of the economy have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. Several new approaches and policies have been adopted in response to the impact. Tourism is one of the most affected industries, primarily due to the travel restrictions and physical distancing as measures to help counter the spread of the virus. According to OECD (2020), in the year 2020, an 80% decrease in international tourism was witnessed.

However, Lew et al. (2020) note that local governments have endeavored to revive the sector through domestic tourism by taking impressive steps to reactivate and restore the industry while protecting businesses and jobs. In addition, several regions across the world have developed strategies to build a tourism economy that is more resilient to the COVID-19 pandemic and other global problems. Some of the measures taken include promoting a digital transition to a greener tourism system and supporting the industrys sustainable recovery (Lew et al., 2020).

These actions are because the sectors outlook remains highly uncertain since it is one of the hardest-hit industries. Thus, while international travel recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, some trends are likely to characterize global tourism in the next few years.

The first feature that will characterize international tourism flows in the next few years is sanitary protection. Although the hopes of travelers and tourism businesses have been boosted by the positive news on the vaccines and their perceived success, the sector still faces many challenges. For some years to come, the industry is likely to alternate between highs and lows, while the vaccine research will take longer than expected (Lew et al., 2020).

In the meantime, the world will have to cope with the preventive measures put in place by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, even after the success of the vaccines, most airplanes will be forced to carry below their standard carrying capacity to ensure sanitary protection to the travelers.

In previous times long before the COVID-19 pandemic, the sector has proven resilient to global emergencies, hiccups, pandemics and crises, but the coronavirus disease has made the road to recovery highly uncertain. In the next few years, Lew et al. (2020) predict that the travel restrictions are expected to be upheld, and comprehensive screening at the national and international borders are also deemed to remain. The reason for this projection is twofold; first, they have been successful in reducing the regional spread of the virus and second, travel is central to disease surveillance and epidemiology (Gössling et al., 2020, p.5).

In the international travel ports, such as dry land ports and airports, detailed screening of the travelers will be more thorough. Additionally, if the vaccines will be successful in protecting people against contracting the disease, a vaccination certificate will be a mandatory document for global travel alongside a travel passport.

The success of these measures will see many anxious tourists spread their wings again after a year of lockdown (Lew et al., 2020, p. 458). More steps are expected to be introduced while considering the guidance by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, the first trend is increased sanitary protection coupled with making a vaccination certificate a mandatory travel document to prevent tourists from contracting the virus.

Another trend is the travel bubble in which the countries that have shown significant development in the containment of the COVID-19 will receive more tourists. Different nations have various levels of technological infrastructure and medical research capability. This fact means that some countries will have better strategies to handle the disease ahead of others. If this happens, the first step to boost the economy would be to open inbound tourism to save the highly vulnerable sector.

For example, developing countries will wait longer to enjoy international travel benefits because they do not have adequate infrastructure to handle the pandemic (OECD, 2020). The developed world, which has already discovered and approved vaccines, has not started to receive tourists, but their tourism will be back ahead of developing nations.

With time, some containment measures will be lifted depending on the prevailing epidemiological situation. On the other hand, the countries indicating a higher prevalence of the virus and inadequate containment measures will significantly decline tourism. Thus, owing to this travel bubble trend, the once leading tourist destinations will no longer be at their best unless they improve their containment measures to make visitors feel safe visiting them.

Effects of These Trends on the Cuba and the Dominican Republic

It is expected that tourism-related businesses will be fighting insolvency in the next few years because of the adverse effect COVID-19 has had on the sector. Tour operators, accommodation services, aviation, and cruise lines are essential elements of the tourism value chain and will continue to struggle to remain in operation.

Many airlines will be driven to technical bankruptcy because most international flights will either be grounded or restricted, according to the report by the Centre for Aviation (World Bank, 2021). In the Caribbean region, Royal Caribbean International, one of the major cruise companies, will be forced to increase its rates and domestic tourism will be more adversely affected than the inbound one. The subsectors of food and accommodation services represent almost 60% of the tourism sector and provide many job opportunities in the Caribbean (International Labor Organization, 2020).

In Cuba, the number of jobs in the tourism sector has been increasing since 2010 (Lopez, 2020). Therefore, depending on the epidemiological situation, some businesses in the Caribbean will be forced to cut down on operating costs and remain afloat, and sacking some of their employees will be one of them.

Moreover, even the countries that used to receive many tourists before the pandemic will be forced to ensure sanitary protection of the visitors if they must enjoy the benefits. The Dominican Republic and Cuba are the leading in tourism in the Caribbean region (Murphy et al., 2020). Many people have invested in the sector, and numerous employment opportunities have been created as a result. However, the level of tourism benefits these countries will gain depends on how they will manage the disease in the next few years. Due to the travel bubble trend, visitors will be more attracted to those destinations with proper containment measures and lower incidences of coronavirus disease.

Cuba and The Dominican Republic have experienced major COVID-19 outbreaks, yet these economies significantly depend on tourism (Murphy et al., 2020). Therefore, with the travel bubble trend, tourism in these two Caribbean countries will be adversely affected if they do not adopt practical containment measures. However, suppose their governments do not reverse decisions such as the premature reopening of airports and borders. In that case, many tourists will be scared away from this, and they will see their GDP drop significantly.

Tourism and the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals

Tourism and Clean Water and Sanitation for All

Tourism is an essential tool to use to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). The sector has the most dynamic and perspective businesses in the world (Saarinen, 2020). These goals are a universal call for all governments worldwide to take transformative measures to attain Vision 2030. The two SDGs that tourism can help achieve are the sixth, clean water and sanitation, and eleventh, sustainable cities and communities.

There is a need to make better sanitation and clean water available for the world community, and tourism can help make this possible. The amount of clean water available on the planet is sufficient for everyone, but many people still do not have access to it because of poor infrastructure and the economy (Utheim, 2021). Additionally, with population growth and climate change effects, there are acute shortages of clean water in many parts of the world. First, since most tourist activities need reliable sanitation and clean water, tourism can help achieve this SDG.

Additionally, when a government invests in local infrastructure in tourism, the community around the tourist site, such as beaches and coastlines, will benefit significantly (Streimikiene et al., 2020). Besides, most people do not have the financial ability to drill fresh groundwater into their homes, but when the government avails this water for tourism activities, the surrounding communities will also benefit from the obtainability.

The second way that tourism can help support sustainable management and availability of water and better sanitation is by redirecting the revenue to help support individual projects aimed at achieving this SDG. According to Utheim (2021), in most developing countries, the sanitary conditions are poor, leading to public health hazards.

Therefore, a part of the revenue generated by the tourism sector can be used to build toilets to ensure hygiene and sanitation for all. In addition, these funds can also be injected into the conservation of water-related ecosystems such as wetlands, rivers, and mountains to reduce water scarcity since caring for nature provides clean water. This conservation will promote the availability of freshwater for use and improve sanitary conditions.

The third way tourism can enable achieving the sixth sustainable development goal is by limiting the amount used for tourist activities and supporting water projects worldwide. Water is a precious resource, and some of the ways tourism can effectively utilize it are pollution control, efficient use, and using technology. For example, an 18-hole golf course requires millions of liters of water to maintain every year, which could serve over 1000 households in the same period (Utheim, 2021).

Additionally, on average, one tourist can use between 300 and 2000 liters of water in a single day, while around 30 liters are used in a local home (Utheim, 2021). Thus, water consumption by tourism can be limited to help sustain surrounding communities to ensure sustainable management. Moreover, tourism companies can collaborate with local governments to support water-related technology, such as harvesting rainwater and purification and treatment. These businesses can include this effort as a part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) to provide clean water to counter the impact of scarcity which adversely affects sanitation. Therefore, tourism can play a significant role in achieving this SDG.

Tourism and Sustainable Cities and Communities

Over the years, a significant number of people have moved to cities from their rural areas, making urbanization proliferate. At the moment, more than 50% of the worlds population lives in urban neighborhoods, and by 2030, a 10% increase is expected to reach 60% (Utheim, 2021). The main reasons for this migration are better opportunities such as jobs and trade and social benefits. With the overpopulation in cities and major towns, many problems have emerged, for example, the development of slums, diseases, poor sanitation, and increased crime rates.

According to Utheim (2021), cities consume around 60-80% of energy, and over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions are from these settlements. The residents of a municipality develop socially and economically when it functions properly, which underscores the need to ensure sustainable use of resources, which tourism can help attain.

One way tourism can contribute is through the indirect investment in advancing urban infrastructure and accessibility. The revenue generated from the sector can be ploughed back to help improve the citys infrastructure to attract more tourists. For example, Jamaicas hinterlands were converted due to tourism urbanization (Brooks, 2018). With more people settled in urban areas, there will be more need for inclusivity and safety, which tourism can help achieve.

The money generated from tourism can also improve security and provide the supply of energy; it is usually a necessity in urban settlements. For example, Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa in Iceland, has been involved in many endeavours to improve the safety, sustainability, and resilience of most cities in the southwestern parts of the country (Helgadóttir et al., 2019).

The tourism business focuses on creating a community all the residents and visitors enjoy, prioritizing safety for all. Additionally, tourism businesses can also participate in the air pollution reduction efforts to create greener cities so that tourists enjoy fresh air when they visit, and the locals will also benefit from this transformation. Therefore, tourism can contribute to the infrastructure of urban centers to promote safety, inclusivity, and sustainability.

Another way tourism can help develop sustainable cities and communities is to preserve national and cultural heritage because they significantly matter to the sector. In most small island developing states (SIDS), where tourism is the main contributor to the GDP, especially in the Caribbean region, the industry has contributed to the sustainable development of many cities (Brooks, 2018). Places like museums, monuments, and archaeological sites are major tourist attractions, and if left in a dilapidated state, they will no longer be meaningful.

In Iceland, tourism has been a positive factor in improving the residents quality of life around tourist sites, thereby contributing to resilience (Helgadóttir et al., 2019). In the cities with these heritages, tourism should lead initiatives to renew and revamp them, which will make them sustainable. Therefore, tourism can transform cities and communities which would otherwise be rendered in a state of disrepair.

Lastly, tourism can help support initiatives aimed at improving the livelihoods of local communities. For instance, the travel and tourism industry investors can include such a plan in their corporate social responsibility. An excellent example is on the north coast of Jamaica, where tourism businesses have connected locals with freshwater (Brooks, 2018).

This is a good way of giving back to the community and improving their well-being. Moreover, the sector can also endeavour to invest in green infrastructure, including reducing air and water pollution to ensure residents lives are free of hazards. Another instance is in Iceland, where Blue Lagoons philanthropic efforts are an essential part of its CSR.

It has supported the health, culture, and well-being of the local communities and youth sports (Helgadóttir et al., 2019). Similarly, Cuban Adventures spread financial benefits to the local people to improve their livelihoods (Milwood, 2020). These are some of the ways tourism can ensure the cities are smarter, sustainable, and green, thereby playing a significant role in achieving this sustainable development goal.

How Tourists Can Be Encouraged to Behave Responsibly

The previous sections of the paper have focused on the positive ways tourism can contribute to sustainable development. However, it is worth noting that tourism has its negative side, especially when tourists do not behave responsibly. The adverse effect of tourism is measured from social, economic, and environmental perspectives (Mathew and Sreejesh, 2017). This negative influence is contributed to by the visitors irresponsible conduct. In most cases, the surrounding community is affected more by these impacts, but sometimes the harm may spread across the destination country.

Negative Environmental Impact

First, from an ecological perspective, irresponsible tourist behaviors lead to pollution and depletion of local natural resources. The shortage of water in tourism-dependent economies, such as the Caribbean region, results from the overuse of water for tourist activities. For example, in a tropical country, over 50,000 litres of water are used to maintain a golf course in a year while the neighbouring communities struggle with water shortage.

Moreover, according to Walker et al. (2021), in the Caribbean, the amount of water one tourist uses in one day is adequate to serve a resident for a minimum of three days. The overuse of water by tourists and tourism-related functions results in acute scarcity of water in the surrounding households, exposing them to poor sanitary conditions, which can cause many public health hazards.

Further, tourists significantly contribute to environmental pollution directly and indirectly. For example, some visitors do not follow the proper waste disposal protocols, and they dump leftovers and cans anyhow, causing pollution because plastic is not biodegradable (Gomez, 2020). Additionally, the herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers used to maintain golf courses may lead to soil and water contamination.

Besides, cruise ships emit a significant amount of greenhouse gases, such as carbon (IV) oxide, which lead to climate change, and there is an expected 25% rise in CO2 emissions (Gursoy and Nunkoo, 2019). Therefore, tourism can affect the environment negatively because of irresponsible tourist behavior.

Negative Social Impact

The first adverse social impact of tourism is the loss of cultural identity among the local community. In most cases, tourists come in with a set of foreign lifestyles, such as dressing, for example, bikinis, shorts, or bras alone, to which the people in the host communities are not used (ORourke and Koa
ak, 2019). As a result, their mannerisms and interaction of natives are affected in their attempt to copy the visitors, which prompts them to lose their native traditions and customs, leading to cultural erosion.

Moreover, to meet the demands of the tourists, local restaurants are converted to pubs and shops are fitted or stocked with products for visitors. As a result, the traditional lifestyle is snubbed, and in some instances, the residents turn to prostitution to meet the tourists sexual desires in exchange for money or gifts (Zgolli and Zaiem, 2018). Therefore, tourism adversely affects the social development of the destination country.

Negative Economic Impact

Although tourism has been identified to have the potential to promote the economic development of a place, it can also affect it negatively. Mathew and Sreejesh (2017) argue that, at times, tourism can derail the economic growth of the local communities. In most tourism-intense areas, the cost of goods and services is always higher than usual.

Although business owners make huge profits from this situation, the residents are adversely affected since they cannot afford it, especially during peak seasons. For example, Gursoy and Nunkoo (2019) argue that the prices of foods and drinks in a local restaurant are almost double during the high tourist season. Therefore, tourism has an adverse economic effect on the residents as they cannot afford the living standards, which are abnormally raised to the level of tourists.

Ways to Encourage Tourists to Behave Responsibly

Most of the adverse effects of tourism on the economy, environment, and culture result from irresponsible tourist behaviors. Gomez (2020) defines responsible tourism as the conduct by a traveler that contributed to the economic benefit of the locals and minimizes adverse effects on the environment and the destination countrys cultural and national heritage. The first measure to encourage responsible tourist behavior is for the Ministry of Tourism to develop policies to regulate the conduct of the travelers.

ORourke and Koa
ak (2019) emphasize that the development of these policies should involve collaborative efforts by the government and tourism businesses, and local communities. All irresponsible tourist behaviors can be listed alongside the consequences for their violation, produced in several languages.

On arrival at the airport, the visitors will be served with copies of these documents. Fletcher et al. (2017) add that the tour guides and operators can be tasked with ensuring their guests have read and understood the rules and regulations regarding their behavior while in the destination country. Therefore, such policies will encourage the travelers to conduct themselves well to contribute to economic and social development.

The second measure is for tourist businesses, including tour operators, shops, restaurants, and hotels, to invest in awareness initiatives aimed at encouraging their visitors to contribute towards sustainable development through responsible behavior. Mathew and Sreejesh (2017) suggest that this can be a formally organized seminar to take a day or two to welcome, remind, and caution the visitors to conduct themselves positively. The main aim of this conference should be to emphasize the government policies and focus more on the irresponsible actions and their possible consequences, including arrest and conviction or immediate deportation.

In addition, they can also be educated on the sustainable development goals and how tourism is a tool that can help the achievement of the SDGs. At the end of the seminar, the tourists will be required to sign to confirm that they have read and understood how to conduct themselves and the consequences of violating the regulations. This will be a good way to ensure they are well aware of the repercussions of their actions. It will also be an excellent strategy of encouraging them to behave responsibly to make the destination a better place for people to live and visit, thereby contributing to sustainable development.

The third approach to make sure tourists behave responsibly is to have them pay for the environmental pollution and wastage of resources they caused. As it was discussed above, tourism causes depletion of natural resources such as water, causing acute shortages, and leads to pollution, mainly due to reckless disposal of wastes by tourists.

According to Mathew and Sreejesh (2017), to promote responsible tourist behavior, the loss incurred due to this misconduct should be billed alongside hotel and tour expenses. The government and local communities will be excused from paying for the damage they did not cause and, thus, promote sustainability. With the introduction of these measures, all travelers will be encouraged to behave more responsibly to avoid unnecessary and preventable expenses.

Reference List

Gössling, S., Scott, D., and Hall, C. M. (2020) Pandemics, tourism and global change: a rapid assessment of COVID-19, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(1), pp. 1-20.

International Labor Organization. (2020) The impact off COVID-19 on the tourism sector, ILO sectoral brief: COVID-19 and the tourism sector, pp. 1-9. Web.

Lew, A. A., Cheer, J. M., Haywood, M., Brouder, P., and Salazar, N. B. (2020) Visions of travel and tourism after the global COVID-19 transformation of 2020, Tourism Geographies, 22(3), pp. 455-466.

Lopez, A.M. (2020) Cuba: number of jobs in the tourism sector 2010-2019, Statistica. Web.

Murphy, M., Jeyaseelan, S., Howitt, C., Greaves, N., Harewood, H., Quimby, K., & Hambleton, I. (2020) COVID-19 containment in the Caribbean: the experience of small island developing states, Research in Globalisation, 2, 1-9.

OECD (2020), Rebuilding tourism for the future: COVID-19 policy responses and recovery, OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19), OECD Publishing, Paris. Web.

Word Bank. (2021) Rebuilding tourism competitiveness: tourism response, recovery and resilience to the COVID-19 crisis, World Bank Group, pp. 1-47. Web.

Brooks S. (2018) Growth of tourism urbanisation and implications for the transformation of Jamaicas rural hinterlands, In: Horn P., Alfaro dAlencon P., Duarte Cardoso A. (eds) Emerging urban spaces: A planetary perspective. Vienna: Springer.

Helgadóttir, G., Einarsdóttir, A. V., Burns, G. L., Gunnarsdóttir, G. Þ., and Matthíasdóttir, J. M. (2019) Social sustainability of tourism in Iceland: a qualitative inquiry, Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 19(4), pp. 404-421.

Milwood, P. (2020) Social responsibility and the SDGs: vignettes of Caribbean tour operators, Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 12(3), pp. 275-292.

Saarinen, J. (2020) Tourism and sustainable development goals: research on sustainable tourism geographies. Milton Park: Routledge.

Streimikiene, D., Svagzdiene, B., Jasinskas, E., and Simanavicius, A. (2020) Sustainable tourism development and competitiveness: the systematic literature review, Sustainable Development, 29(1), pp. 259-271.

Utheim, H. (2021), How can travel contribute to achieving UNs sustainability goals? Travelopment. Web.

Fletcher, J., Fyall, A., Gilbert, D., and Wanhill, S. (2017) Tourism: Principles and practice. Harlow, UK: Pearson.

Gomez, T. (2020) What is responsible tourism and why is it important? Brogan Abroad. Web.

Gursoy, D., and Nunkoo, R. (2019) The Routledge handbook of tourism impacts: Theoretical and applied perspectives. New York: Routledge.

Mathew, P. V., and Sreejesh, S. (2017) Impact of responsible tourism on destination sustainability and quality of life of community in tourism destinations, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 31, pp. 83-89.

ORourke, T., and Koa
ak, M. (2019) Ethical and responsible tourism: Managing sustainability in local tourism destinations. New York: Routledge.

Walker, T. B., Lee, T. J., and Li, X. (2021) Sustainable development for small island tourism: developing slow tourism in the Caribbean, Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 38(1), pp. 1-15.

Zgolli, S., and Zaiem, I. (2018) The responsible behaviour of tourist: the role of personnel factors and public power and effect on the choice of destination, Arab Economic and Business Journal, 13(2), pp. 168-178.

Qualitative study of the psychological experience of COVID-19 patients during hospitalization is an example of a report of a qualitative study that I personally read before the assignment. I encountered it while conducting a Google search with the keywords psychological experience, patients, and pandemic. My interest in the effect of fighting COVID on mental health has led me to the article. Its title indicated that the research was suitable for my goals.

The study itself focused on the psychological experiences of COVID patients. The researchers used interviews and phone calls to ascertain how patients felt about the progress of the disease. The studys findings indicated that the emotional response of COVID patients was not different from those struggling with other diseases (Sun et al., 2021). In the first stages, there is strong negativity and stress, which are followed by a mix of positive and negative emotions as the disease progresses.

The study by OLynn and Krautscheid investigated the importance of physical touch in the work of nurses. The absence of an established understanding of how touching should be handled provided the rationale for conducting the research (OLynn & Krautscheid, 2011). Even though physical contact between nurses and patients is essential in many medical procedures, there is no definitive guidance on how touch should be performed, which prompted the researchers to conduct the study.

The study was unique in that it was the first research that used patients considerations on how they should be touched in intimate spots as the study data. Furthermore, is the first paper that offered specific recommendations for establishing physical contact between nurses and patients while prioritizing the latters dignity. The data was interpreted by various researchers, which further strengthened the credibility of the analysis.

References

OLynn, C., & Krautscheid, L. (2011). How should I touch you?: A qualitative study of attitudes on intimate touch in nursing care. The American Journal of Nursing, 111(3). 24-31. Web.

Sun, N., Wei, L., Wang, H., Wang, X., Gao, M., Hu, X., & Shi, S. (2021). A qualitative study of the psychological experience of COVID-19 patients during hospitalization. Journal of Affective Disorders, 278, 15-22. Web.

The global coronavirus pandemic has turned peoples lives upside down since last year. Since then, the situation has seemed to improve as people have learned to adjust to circumstances, but it still causes much discomfort in society. Despite all the real-world tragedies, COVID-19 will long be evaluated by sociologists as a genuine test for humanity. Emerging as an unforeseen shock, it provided a unique opportunity to witness the interaction of the healthcare system, politics, and the economy. COVID-19 exposes socio-economic inequality, public health issues, and other acute problems and may increase their scope in the near future. Therefore, it is vital to elaborate the mitigation plan to prepare society for dealing with the pandemic impacts.

The pandemic caused not only physical damage but also spread significant mental distress among people. It has triggered unconscious reactions to the daily phenomena; the quarantine exposed numerous childhood traumas, emotional depletion, and in-home conflicts. Besides, people are still recovering from the post-traumatic events that occurred in the beginning of COVID-19 spread. Thus, the pandemic acts as a mental health booster, with stress remarkably increasing in young and adult people.

From Freuds perspective, it can be assumed that people have turned to the first stage of development named the id. It is the primary developmental step which poses survival as a pivotal aim. It is asserted that once the pandemic emerged, individuals sole goal was satisfying their basic needs to ensure safety (Kendall, 2018). However, over time, the population realized that survival could not be the only way to lead a life and moved on to the ego or superego stages. For example, some people started exercising, eating healthy food, while others resorted to meditation and prayer. Humanity was divided into two groups: those looking for new perspectives and those deprived of them.

Considering how the pandemic impacted society, it is necessary to create a mitigation plan relying on human developments sociological and social psychological theories. First, it is vital to remember that people are incredibly vulnerable to new threats, and their mental health is most exposed to depletion. Therefore, for the population not to experience stress, the country should provide psychological assistance. In addition, a person must maintain self-control and develop the self-discipline to stay healthy. They can start exercising, eating healthy, relaxing, and devoting time to their favorite activities. Psychological comfort can be enhanced by meditation or prayer because spiritual practices help people overcome difficult times. Ultimately, the central part of mitigating the effects of COVID-19 is to follow hygiene procedures and comply with restriction measures carefully.

The pandemic made me reevaluate my principles and attitudes to numerous aspects of life. For example, I learned to value every moment spent with my family and friends. I also reconsidered t the importance of doctors and nurses, retail and delivery workers. These are things that should not be taken for granted, and I hope that the changes in our views and priorities will be one of the most beneficial consequences of this challenging period.

In summation, the global pandemic forced people to change their lifestyles, impacted every societal institution, and caused much physical and mental discomfort. However, the proper provision of material help, psychological assistance, and developing self-discipline are vital in terms of minimizing the coronavirus effects on oneself and society. Although the plan of action seems unsophisticated, it should be remembered that they can affect society by changing their daily habits.

Reference

Kendall, D. (2018). Sociology in our times: The essentials (11^th ed.). Cengage.

Human life has been severely disrupted in many different ways by a coronavirus. Following the emergence of the disease and the public policies to alleviate it, life has turned out to be very tough. The world has been trying to find ways to tolerate the directives, such as stay-at-home orders. The covid-19 pandemic has affected the human race in all spheres of life.

Families have been attempting to develop various practices in the social isolation, integrate and compensate for their childrens education during the day as schools have remained closed. Most of all, the distress is heightened by the possibility of contracting this deadly virus as the world continues to witness an increasing number of reported infections and deaths every day. The uncertainty is overwhelmingly causing high emotions in adults as well as in children. The public health directives regarding social distancing and home care programs make individuals feel secluded and lonely. They increase stress among families, leading to the raised cases of neurological and mental disorders, such as delirium hysteria stroke, among many people.

Peoples sorrows are particularly profound when they experience deaths reality or the fight for family or friends lives as a consequence of this epidemic. People see their friends and families, who have lost their jobs. The sources of income that supported families have been destroyed, and the world economy has shut down. As a result, most families welfare has been seriously affected, as many have become poorer and as a result, they have lost hope.

Covid-19 has influenced every area of life by altering the strength which holds the system, whether it is the bodys immunity system, the family structure, the social fabric, the education sector, or even the professional field. On one side, the lockdown has helped families eat together and remain united by spending quality time physically while experiencing each others happy moments and pain. On the other side though, the majority of households, are forced to make significant changes to daily lives due to financial constraints. For these families, it means heightened anxiety in children and stress in parenting (Brown et al., 2020). There are also many disturbing circumstances in family life, such as domestic violence, increased alcoholism, and drug abuse. Therefore, handling trauma and pressure more positively can make people and those they care for much stronger.

Reference

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, 104699.

Introduction

This article plays a valuable role in studying my topic, which is the influence of coronavirus on childrens mental health. In their report, Phelps and Sperry (2020) discuss an extremely important but underestimated issue and try to draw peoples attention to it. A vast number of factors may harm kids and teenagers because their psyche is not entirely stable yet, and their reactions to external stimuli are increased. Moreover, the level of crimes against children, including maltreatment and physical abuse, is relatively high. This, in turn, leads to the fact that more than 90% of urban and 67% of rural youth necessarily experience at least one traumatic event before reaching the age of eighteen (Phelps & Sperry, 2020, p. S73). Since COVID-19 is a highly stressful event for both adults and teenagers, the articles authors aim at determining to which extent parents reactions to the coronavirus pandemic affect their children. More importantly, Phelps and Sperry (2020) explore the role of schools in supporting students during such a challenging time.

Methods and Results

To address the articles objectives and draw a specific conclusion, the authors gather the necessary data and analyze it. To begin with, the data collection method used for this study is mixed. In other words, the researchers use a combination of secondary data analysis (literature review) and nonparticipant observation. This combination allows Phelps and Sperry (2020) to gain a more accurate understanding of the relationships between the phenomena under study.

Thus, when conducting a literature review consisting of an extended number of scholarly and relevant sources, the researchers get a comprehensive overview of the problem. It means that different resources allow them to assess childrens traumatized mental health from different perspectives and finally find out what role closed school districts and parents behaviors play in promoting this problem. As a result, Phelps and Sperry (2020) notice that during the 2009 swine flu pandemic, & parents who were fearful of the swine flu transmitted this threat information to their children, which caused the children to be fearful of the disease (p. S74). The same happens to modern teenagers who see their guardians being scared of COVID-19. Furthermore, when not enough support from parents and schools, students may experience a severe mental health crisis (Phelps & Sperry, 2020, p. S74).

The second research method is nonparticipant observation, and it allows the authors to assess the current situation and draw conclusions. Thus, they notice that school districts closures are unfortunate because, for many students, schools are their only source of trauma-informed care and support (p. S73). During the lockdown, many students were forced to study online and probably stay in an unsafe environment without any possibility to receive support from educators. Consequently, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly contributed to the existing problem. Now schools need to unite their efforts with the government and families to provide children with population-based mental services before and after traditional classroom education continues. This is the result that the authors report after conducting secondary data analysis and nonparticipant observation.

Reflection

This articles value is significantly high as it provides essential information about those influences of the coronavirus pandemic and school districts closures that most people are unaware of. This researchs results are also relevant to the study of child development. The insights related to the adverse impact of panicking parents and no access to schools as a source of care and support make it easier to gain an understanding of challenging processes of child development and help be more careful with them.

Reference

Phelps, C., & Sperry, L. L. (2020). Children and the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), S73S75.

Introduction

The latest outbreak of COVID-19, short for coronavirus disease of 2019, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has had an undeniable permanent impact on a global scale. The pandemic has influenced the life of every member of the human society without any exception, whether in an irrevocable way or through the limitations that it brought forth. Despite the pandemic being the most debated and controversial subject of the year 2020, there is still a shortage of factual evidence about its origin and nature. In an attempt to bring more clarity, this work exhibits the major aspects concerning COVID-19: its history and discovery, structure, symptoms and the effects on mental health, social impact, and the ways of its prevention.

The History of the Coronavirus

The first occasion of the acute respiratory viral infection caused by coronavirus took place long before the 21^st century pandemic. The case is from 1960 and is documented as flu; in the following years, the disease spread, without resulting in worrisome numbers in statistics. It is known that out of 500 patients identified with flu, only 17% were confirmed to be of coronavirus strain (Kumar et al). These were the years when the family of coronaviruses was first classified. Until the 2000s, the coronavirus disease was treated as non-fatal virus infection, however in 2003, several researchers started reporting the spread of the coronavirus from China to USA, Singapore, Thailand, India and Vietnam. The mortality of the virus has risen, and more than a thousand fatal cases were reported that year (Kumar et al). Another strand, MERS, was spotted in Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, in 2012-2013  resulting in fatalities for 40 people (World Health Organization). The next and biggest outbreak caused by these viruses became what is now known as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Characteristics and Molecular Structure

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that affect a range of species  from humans to animals to birds. Seven coronaviruses can affect humans, others being found in birds, snakes, mice, pangolins, and others. It is a known fact by now that the contaminant of the virus spreads by airborne droplets. Due to airborne nature as well as additional features in its molecular structure, it is now known of its capability of mutation, which is probably how it started affecting humans in the first place. The researchers state that there are confirmed cases of the existence of mechanisms for acquiring new receptor interactions, which is an important step in cross-species transmission (Lu et al p. 568). The viruses were originally named for the crown-like spikes on their surface, which help them to bind with the hosts receptors, and form a clade within the subgenus arbovirus, Orthocoronavirinae subfamily (Zhu et al p. 727). The coronavirus is unique in many other ways, but perhaps the most relevant thing about it to humans is how dramatically it changed every aspect of human society the past year.

The Spread and Number of Reported Cases of COVID-19

As soon as the global society understood the rates at which the new danger grew, each state authority has been trying to control the infection rate by imposing limits and regulations. Majority of them altered the way public spaces are used, and involved various obligations regulated at the state level. The most important ones are wearing a protective facemask and gloves, keeping a social distance. These and other strategies are responsible for the gradual decline in new cases that is happening right now. Since 28^th January outbreak in Wuhan in 2020, however, the number of new COVID-19 patients has been escalating drastically. The official count, as of March 2021, peaks at 113 989 973 confirmed cases worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Out of that number there are 2 531 542 cases of fatalities reported (WHO). However, it is crucial to understand, that these numbers represent the situation partially, as no health organization or media outlet knows the total number of cases, but only the reported ones.

Psychical Symptoms Characteristic of COVID-19

As the pandemic progressed, medical workers studied the new coronavirus in great detail and derived a number of common symptoms. They include respiratory symptoms, such as dry cough, fatigue and fever, as well as difficulty breathing and chest pain at more progressive stages (Lovato et al p. 22). Beside the ones listed above, there are more distinctive characteristics that point specifically to a COVID-19 infection. An unusual symptom frequently reported is loss of sense of smell and taste. To give a sense of perspective about how representative of COVID-19 this symptom is, among the 26 participants, 24 reported loss of taste with 14 reporting complete loss, and 18 participants reported loss of smell (Dawson et al p. 683). Less common symptoms include muscular aches, diarrhea, and conjunctivitis. In more serious cases the virus causes severe pneumonia (WHO). However, the effect the virus has on an individual can vary  and the symptoms are not only physical.

Mental Health Effects Caused by the Pandemic

The fact that should not be overlooked during these complex times is the state of mental health of an average individual. The pandemic has brought a lot of feelings of helplessness, panic, anxiety and depression to many people. Major contributing factors are uncertain prognoses, shortage of medical resources, imposition of unfamiliar public measures that infringe on personal freedoms, large and growing financial losses, and conflicting messages from authorities (Pfefferbaum et al p. 510). The causes of such distress might come from the novelty of the pandemic, being an unheard of event for more than a century. Two types of emotional involvement can be identified  the broader feeling of anxiety associated with the futures uncertainty for most people, and the personal dilemma and fear of the COVID-19 patients. Both are equally important and should be addressed directly because if not, many people are going to be at risk of developing mental illness or even, various types of psychosis  and many are already at the verge of it.

Prevention Tactics

As the pandemic is still ongoing, it is crucial to understand the importance of strategies and tools one can implement to avoid transmission of the virus to oneself and others. The most obvious and omnipresent ones are wearing a medical mask and protective gloves  preferably, disposable ones. Keeping a social distance is still as important as it was last year. Sanitizing ones hands, clothes, objects, surfaces is another way to make sure that the virus dies, even in case of coming into contact with it. However, these measures are only preventive  in case of infection one must isolate themselves either at home or in a hospital for two weeks at minimum. The steps mentioned above are the least of what one can do to contribute to the decline of the infection rate. A much greater alternative that society has to offer in 2021 is the COVID-19 vaccine. According to Knoll, the previous year has seen 58 vaccines be developed and in clinical trials, with some reportedly having more than 90% efficacy (p. 72). Thus, getting vaccinated and developing collective immunity is the only way humans will overcome this pandemic on a global scale.

Conclusion

As the current state of the matters suggests, the coronavirus disease is not going to disappear anywhere in the near future. Although the virus has made a big damage to human population, the new danger does not present itself as petrifying as it used to. Top scientists and medical workers have studied the nature of the phenomenon in great detail and developed tools and solutions to apply against it. It is evident that the measures implemented by governments worldwide are working  slowly but surely, the situation is starting to improve. Despite that it has affected everyones lifestyle in a major way, and reshaped the ways human society functions, the situation is under control now. The goal of this research was to understand the nature of the coronavirus pandemic in a better way, and through that, gain a better insight into the possible outcomes of the future. One can say now, given the humans natural unprecedented strive towards overcoming obstacles with innovation, anything is possible. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for the human society, however, it is going to remain just that and will not evolve into anything more.

Works Cited

Dawson, Patrick, et al. Loss of Taste and Smell as Distinguishing Symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019. Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 72, no. 4, 2021, pp. 682685.

Kumar, Dharmenda et al. Coronavirus: A Review of COVID-19. EJMO, vol. 4, no. 1, 2020, pp. 8-25.

Knoll, Maria Deloria. OxfordAstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy. The Lancet, vol. 397, no. 10269, 2021, pp. 72-74.

Lu, Roujian et al. Genomic Characterisation and Epidemiology of 2019 Novel Coronavirus: Implications for Virus Origins and Receptor Binding. Lancet, vol. 395 no. 10224, 2020, pp. 565574.

Lovato, Andrea et al. Upper Airway Symptoms in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). American Journal of Otolaryngology vol. 41 no. 3, 2020, pp. 21-27.

Pfefferbaum, Betty et al. Mental Health and the Covid-19 Pandemic. The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 383 vo. 6, 2020, pp. 510-512.

WHO | World Health Organisation. World Health Organization, 2021. Web.

Zhu, Na et al. A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019. The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 383 no. 8, 2020, pp. 727-733.

The recent outbreak of the Coronavirus has resulted in the recommendation of various disease containment measures around the world. For instance, health care organization bodies like the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been at the forefront in ensuring that countries around the world have adhered to the set measures. Moreover, several governments had to impose curfew measures to restrict social interactions among their citizens. As a result, such measures led to social isolation, which had significant impacts on many people. It is important to note that the children and adolescent population were mostly affected by the stringent Covid-19 containment measures. Studies state that the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in adverse long-term impacts on the mental health of adolescents and children (Singh et al.). As such, this paper will discuss the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in adolescent isolation and suicide. The pandemic affected adolescents because of stringent isolation measures, which resulted in mental challenges and such as depression and anxiety, hence suicidal thoughts.

As experienced in several countries around the world, the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of many public institutions, including schools. This meant that many students could no longer interact with one another in the normal way. Research suggests that school closures and social distancing contributed to increased loneliness among adolescents and children due to the cut-down of their usual social interaction (Loades et al. 1218). Consequently, due to the increased rates of loneliness, many students in the adolescent stage experienced emotional challenges that can be painful most of the time. Due to the loneliness brought about by the containment measures, many adolescents around the world have had to face a variety of mental challenges and disorders, which have been linked with suicide. For example, research has found that social isolation has contributed to increased suicidal behavior and psychiatric disorders (Sher 709). Admittedly, all human beings are social beings who need to interact with one another on a regular basis. However, the case might be different when it comes to adolescents because it is a critical developmental stage.

Nevertheless, adolescents need frequent interaction with their peers, which is an important process in the development of their mental and emotional wellbeing. Thus, when they are forced into social isolation, adolescents may develop mental issues, including anxiety and depression. Study reports have noted that the recent closure of learning institutions also led to limited access to mental health services among students, including adolescents (Hertz & Lisa 85). This means that vulnerable adolescent students who had unlimited access to their teachers and counselors could no longer be able to present their emotional and mental issues and get adequate help. The resulting effect is depression and anxiety, which can lead to suicidal thoughts. Subsequently, if the suicidal thoughts are not addressed in a timely manner, they are likely to lead to increased rates of suicide among adolescents.

How Covid-19 Isolation Contributes to Depression and Anxiety, hence Adolescent Suicide

Depression and anxiety are some of the most recognized mental issues in the field of psychology. As such, it is worth noting that anxiety and depression are not only prevalent among adults but also among adolescents and children. Triggered by the strict measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, many school-going adolescents had their social life cut down abruptly. As a result, the adolescents experienced significant disruption in their normal way of life in terms of interaction and socialization. This also resulted in a variety of emotional and behavioral changes, including issues with sleep patterns, increased alcohol and drug abuse, isolation trauma, and increased likelihood of becoming resentful and angry with the slightest provocation, as well as becoming destructive and disrespectful (Manzar et al.). Accordingly, it is as a result of such behavioral changes during isolation that led to the increased tendency among adolescents that further influenced depression and anxiety. Anxiety was contributed to by the fact that many adolescents, children, and youths did not know what to do with their life during isolation, while depression was contributed to by increased stress levels.

Consequently, there was a high possibility for many adolescents to engage in withdrawal behaviors. Additionally, when they are left alone in isolation, there is also a great possibility that some adolescents can be overwhelmed by suicidal thoughts and may end up committing suicide. Also, it is essential to note that most parents are not well-informed about the psychological processes that take place during the adolescent development stage. Hence, most caregivers are likely to handle their childrens needs during the adolescent phase in an unprofessional manner. This may also lead to anxiety and depression among adolescents as most of them may feel like their parents are not supporting their psychological needs. Manzar et al. reveal that the measures against the Covid-19 pandemic may have significantly contributed to reduced family support. This is because the containment measures also came with massive economic shutdowns that rendered most families economically unstable. What follows is that most parents had to seek and concentrate on alternative sources of income, which led to the neglect of their childrens psychological needs.

In addition, most parents were also overwhelmed with the increased economic burden and also developed depression. Such situations, when witnessed by school-going children, also influence the development of depression among children and adolescents. Furthermore, some adolescents even felt like they were becoming much of a burden to their families, a situation that led to contemplation about suicide. During the isolation period, some families lost their members, which also resulted in increased levels of depression and anxiety. The feelings are likely to be presented to the adolescent children who may also sink into anxiety and depression, especially for those who might have lost their parents and guardians. The consequences of such mental disorders are likely to lead to suicidal thoughts if not addressed adequately by a counselor or a psychologist, who at that time were not easily accessible.

Recommended Strategies to avoid Suicide among Adolescents

Indeed, the Covid-19 pandemic led to increased mental challenges among several populations around the world, including adolescents. However, curbing the spread of the disease is a priority despite the challenges that might be faced. For this reason, several strategies can be adopted to ensure mental soundness among adolescents during isolation so as to avoid the increased rate of suicidal thoughts and suicide. One of the strategies that could be implemented is online psychological counseling. Online sessions with psychologists can significantly impact the development of the mental wellbeing of adolescents during the isolation period. This strategy is also convenient because it is in line with the measures like social distancing that have been put in place to contain the disease. Therefore, parents are encouraged to look for ways through which they can gain digital access to psychologists to help their adolescent children to deal with mental wellness challenges.

During the critical times of the Coronavirus epidemic, parents are also expected to become good role models and actively engage in supporting the lives of their children. This means that they are in the best position to investigate and determine what their children might be going through mentally and emotionally. By doing so, parents can then be able to help their adolescent children to cope with the challenges that they face. Moreover, though adolescents are more mature than children, there is still a need to teach them about the importance of social distancing and isolation during the epidemic. This will enable them to find alternative ways of coping with their situation and understand that once the pandemic is over, they will go back to their normal lives and be able to interact regularly with their peers once more.

In conclusion, the Covid-19 pandemic has been a major global challenge since it broke out. As a result, many governments, including the United States government, were forced to come up with strict containment measures to avoid the spread of the disease. One of the measures was social isolation, which has significantly affected the mental wellbeing of many adolescents around the world. Thus, many adolescents experienced mental challenges, including depression and anxiety, which resulted in increased suicidal thoughts and suicide. For this reason, it is recommended that, despite the strict measures, online counseling could be adopted to help adolescents in dealing with mental health challenges. Also, parents should be role models and teach their children about the importance of isolation and provide them with continuous emotional and mental support.

References

Hertz, Marci F., and Lisa Cohen Barrios. Adolescent Mental Health, COVID-19, and the Value of School-Community Partnerships. Injury Prevention, vol. 27, no. 1, 2020, pp. 8586.

Loades, Maria Elizabeth, et al. Rapid Systematic Review: The Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in the Context of COVID-19. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 59, no. 11, 2020, pp. 12181239.e3.

Manzar, Md. Dilshad et al. Suicide among Adolescents and Youths during the COVID19 Pandemic Lockdowns: A Press Media Reportsbased Exploratory Study. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 2021.

Sher, Leo. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Suicide Rates. QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, vol. 113, no. 10, 2020, pp. 70712.

Singh, Shweta, et al. Impact of COVID-19 and Lockdown on Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: A Narrative Review with Recommendations. Psychiatry Research, vol. 293, 2020, p. 113429.

Introduction

As countries around the world open their borders after a long lasted lockdown, many people are thinking of traveling again and taking a decent vacation. Months of quarantine and restricted movements have made exploration even more attractive, but pandemics have also forced people to rethink their travel habits and the industry as a whole. As the tourism industry begins to recover, it has the potential to build a more resilient and sustainable tourism economy that values the environment while providing economic benefits to millions of people around the world. It is clear that in the future, hotels and hospitality will need to prioritize health and safety while strengthening their commitment to the environment. The essay will discuss how COVID-19 has influenced the sustainability sector of the tourism industry. Particularly, such aspects as energy use, socio-economic growth, the future requirements for tourism business, impact on animals and biodiversity will be covered.

Tourism and Sustainability

Key Literature and Concepts

Pandemic has had a significant impact on a companys long-term performance. Mubeen et al. (2020) suggests that the role of the CEO in making new decisions to revive economic interests is important. According to Lin and Kishore (2021), in the COVID-19 pandemic, social media channels have provided information to various stakeholders. Leisure, travel, and inbound tourism activities declined more rapidly, resulting in a loss of $ 2.86 trillion, or more than 50% of revenue (Wut et al., 2021). In the first part, this study examines the meaning and context of the current occurrence of COVID-19 (Wut et al., 2021). The study explores how innovation and transformation can help the tourism and leisure industries move to the next normalization (Cuomo et al., 2021). In the time of COVID-19, tourism is one of the most vulnerable industries in the world.

The Changes in Energy Use

Strict lockdowns in the early days of the epidemic resulted in a significant fall in worldwide transit volumes. The current pandemic, COVID 19, is a global issue that includes renewable energy, carbon emissions, economic and health crises, and spillover effects on global businesses such as tourism and travel that are making a significant contribution to the global service economy (Abbasi et al., 2021). Highways, airports, railroads, and waterways were empty without passengers, resulting in higher substantially and brighter skies around the world.

The Impact on Socio-Economic Growth

Tourism, as a key sector for local and national socio-economic growth, is strongly reliant on energy use. To support the transformation, any increase in tourist arrivals necessitates an increase in energy demand (Iorember et al., 2020). As a result, when combined with the corresponding increase in travel owing to increased tourism, it has certain environmental repercussions (Usman et al., 2019; Iorember et al., 2019). The recent breakout of the COVID19 pandemic, which has interrupted global economic operations, has dealt a serious blow to tourism development both globally and in the subregion. Following the relaxing of lockdowns and the start of full internal air travel, there is a need for coordinated strategies to boost tourist arrivals, expand clean energy use, and ensure economic and environmental sustainability (Usman et al., 2019). Pandemics affect not only energy consumption habits but also globalization and tourism, and innovation needs to be rethought for long-term recovery.

Finances for agricultural spending and household welfare programs were also hit by the outbreak. The stock market has been affected by the pandemic and has led to inflation (Goshit et al., 2020; Dabwor et al., 2020). Europes travel and tourism industry is the second most affected sector, with arrivals down 58%, followed by Middle Eastern countries by 51% (Joo et al., 2021). Meanwhile, in Africa and the United States, visitor arrivals fell by 47% (Joo et al., 2021). Most travel and tourism studies focus on the impact of socio-economic and cultural factors that are perceived to have a significant impact on the people at their destination (Mamirkulova et al., 2020; Joo et al., 2021). Inbound travel and tourism activities have a significant impact on the community as their positive impact on the arrival of international tourists impacts the social, cultural, and socio-economic growth and prosperity of residents (Jordan et al., 2021). The number of international visitors decreased by 56% from January to May, decreased by 97% in April, and decreased by 98% in May 2020 (Jordan et al., 2021). Since mid-March 2020, outbreaks of the virus have affected travel and tourism activities, leading to the collapse of global travel.

Future Requirements for Tourism Business

The epidemic reveals the potential for completely unexpected disasters, and as a result, resilience is becoming more equitable. COVID enhances both sustainable business relevance and expectations, with 40% predicting future shifts and additional requirements for such businesses (Jordan et al., 2021). Despite the financial difficulties many companies faced in 2020, many companies have doubled their commitment to sustainability and contributed to a safer, more environmentally friendly, and healthier future for 2020 (Jordan et al., 2021). Companies are now recognizing the importance of developing long-term business plans that can absorb major setbacks, while significant human casualties lead to more accommodation.

With COVID-19s regulations, there was a surge in the hobby in tourism websites that have been best a quick force away or off the standard route, with much fewer crowds. Many protection-aware vacationers started to set up visits in the direction of domestic flights so one can keep away from being uncovered to lengthy multi-step journeys. COVID may also have even stored the sleeper train: fear that flying in 2020 led to an upward thrust in reputation for numerous lengthy-distance rail lines, consistent with one tour operator searching at 2021 European bookings (Zenker & Kock, 2020). While the boom in railway bookings is possible because of protection issues and airport constraints, there is a desire that hobby will maintain for different reasons.

The Impact on Animals and Biodiversity

COVID quarantine around the world has allowed certain animals to invade human territory, but the epidemic has helped protect some of the worlds most economically vulnerable and biodiversity areas. The lack of patrols has increased illegal fishing and poaching, increased deforestation, and left millions of people in extreme poverty (Abbas et al., 2021). This led to the loss of biodiversity as people became increasingly dependent on indigenous timber, bushmeat, and fuel. Increased land use and development increase the risk of infectious diseases by bringing people closer to pathogen-carrying wildlife and disrupting disease-free ecological processes. Nearly 75% of emerging infectious diseases come from other animals, and increased land use and exploitation of infectious diseases by bringing people closer to pathogen-carrying wildlife and disrupting disease-free ecological processes. Nature and its services generate nearly $ 4 trillion in economic value, which is more than half of the worlds GDP (Winter et al., 2020). Biodiversity has traditionally been a lower priority than climate change, but since 2020, government and industry leaders are aware that both need to be addressed (Olsen, 2020). In addition to health, biodiversity is essential to the economy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, since the pandemic is strongly connected with energy use and human activity, it has a significant impact on the environment. The changes that appeared along with the pandemic and lockdowns had changed the approaches to energy consumption and environmental sustainability. Overall, the pandemic has positively influenced the sustainability trends associated with tourism and its consequences for the environment. Such major aspects as biodiversity, climate change, and socio-economic factors are affected by the COVID-19 in the context of the tourism industry.

References

Abbas, J., Mubeen, R., Iorember, P. T., Raza, S., & Mamirkulova, G. (2021). Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on tourism: transformational potential and implications for a sustainable recovery of the travel and leisure industry. Current Research in Behavioral Sciences, 2, 100033. Web.

Abbasi, K. R., Abbas, J., & Tufail, M. (2021). Revisiting electricity consumption, price, and real GDP: A modified sectoral level analysis from Pakistan. Energy Policy, 149, 112087. Web.

Cuomo, M. T., Tortora, D., Foroudi, P., Giordano, A., Festa, G., & Metallo, G. (2021). Digital transformation and tourist experience co-design: Big social data for planning cultural tourism. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 162, 120345. Web.

Dabwor, D. T., Iorember, P. T., & Yusuf Danjuma, S. (2020). Stock market returns, globalization and economic growth in Nigeria: Evidence from volatility and cointegrating analyses. Journal of Public Affairs, e2393. Web.

Goshit, G. G., Jelilov, G., Iorember, P. T., Celik, B., & DavdWayas, O. M. (2020). Asymmetric effects of monetary policy shocks on output growth in Nigeria: Evidence from nonlinear ARDL and HatemiJ causality tests. Journal of Public Affairs, e2449. Web.

Iorember, P. T., Goshit, G. G., & Dabwor, D. T. (2020). Testing the nexus between renewable energy consumption and environmental quality in Nigeria: The role of broadbased financial development. African Development Review, 32(2), 163-175. Web.

Iorember, P. T., Usman, O., & Jelilov, G. (2019). Asymmetric effects of renewable energy consumption, trade openness and economic growth on environmental quality in Nigeria and South Africa. Web.

Joo, D., Xu, W., Lee, J., Lee, C. K., & Woosnam, K. M. (2021). Residents perceived risk, emotional solidarity, and support for tourism amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 19, 100553. Web.

Jordan, E. J., Moran, C., & Godwyll, J. M. (2021). Does tourism really cause stress? A natural experiment utilizing ArcGIS Survey123. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(1), 1-15. Web.

Lin, X., & Kishore, R. (2021). Social media-enabled healthcare: A conceptual model of social media affordances, online social support, and health behaviors and outcomes. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 166, 120574. Web.

Mamirkulova, G., Mi, J., Abbas, J., Mahmood, S., Mubeen, R., & Ziapour, A. (2020). New Silk Road infrastructure opportunities in developing tourism environment for residents better quality of life. Global Ecology and Conservation, 24, e01194. Web.

Mubeen, R., Han, D., Abbas, J., & Hussain, I. (2020). The effects of market competition, capital structure, and CEO duality on firm performance: A mediation analysis by incorporating the GMM model technique. Sustainability, 12(8), 3480. Web.

Olsen, D. H. (2020). Pilgrimage, religious tourism, biodiversity, and natural sacred sites. Religious Tourism and the Environment, 23-41.

Usman, O., Iorember, P. T., & Olanipekun, I. O. (2019). Revisiting the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in India: the effects of energy consumption and democracy. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26(13), 13390-13400. Web.

Winter, P. L., Selin, S., Cerveny, L., & Bricker, K. (2020). Outdoor recreation, nature-based tourism, and sustainability. Sustainability, 12(1), 81. Web.

Wut, T. M., Xu, J. B., & Wong, S. M. (2021). Crisis management research (19852020) in the hospitality and tourism industry: A review and research agenda. Tourism Management, 85, 104307. Web.

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The pandemic of COVID-19 emerging globally showed weaknesses of the healthcare systems worldwide. The rapid spread of the unknown virus, lack of medical equipment, and protection tools put constant stress on medical workers. During the time of the global pandemic, the priorities of healthcare workers changed from providing the needs of patients to keeping public health as well as the safety of physicians as the main concern (Wanchoo, 2020). Moreover, the overwhelming situation related to coronavirus aggravated by the global crisis, which occurred due to global lockdown. Soon it became obvious that an adequate ethical regulation could improve the situation (Wanchoo, 2020). This paper will conduct COVID-19 pandemics case as a main ethical issue and revise sub-issues occurred during the pandemic. The ethical issue related to duties of physicians and their rights, scarce resources management, and deficit of personal protective equipment will be solved by appealing on healthcare ethical principles namely, autonomy, beneficence, justice, non-maleficence, veracity, and trust.

The first sub-issue related to the duties and rights of healthcare workers was common during the last outbreak of the virus. Dr. X knows that it is his direct responsibility to cure patients and help them overcome the virus, but he has retired parents and a one-year-old daughter, who live with him in one apartment. The deficit of resources, unclear treatment in protocols, constantly changing information, and virulence of diseases lead to panic among his colleagues (Wanchoo, 2020). He wants to leave his occupation to keep his family safe. The dilemma is that if he could refuse to work and neglect direct responsibilities. According to Wanchoo (2020), the rights and duties of healthcare workers are not specified in some countries. However, as stated by healthcare ethics physicians could not ignore their direct responsibilities during the emergency. Doctor X may concern about the risk and future consequences put on himself and his family. He worries about the situation he or his family member needs medical facilities will they access to them.

The solutions suggested are the practical methods used by the healthcare workers during the pandemic. Firstly, every healthcare facility should create an ethics committee to state policies and standards (Wanchoo, 2020). Secondly, communication channels such as video chats should be open supporting the mental well-being of healthcare workers (Wanchoo,2020). Wanchoo (2020) points out that due to work overload, stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep increase mental health issues observed among healthcare workers. The communication channels without personal contact should help to solve the problem by giving moral support. Thirdly, healthcare workers should have a guarantee of access to medical equipment and facilities in case of infections (Wanchoo, 2020). The ethical principle of reciprocity, which prioritizes the physicians life, is applied here. Lastly, the recruitment of trainees or retired staff should be held to lessen the burden provided on healthcare workers (Wanchoo, 2020). Talking about Dr. Xs case, as he could not refuse to complete his work, he should be supplied by all the above-mentioned conditions and restricted from contact with his family to stay safe.

Another sub-problem during the explosion of the virus was the scarcity of resources such as hospital beds, ventilators, and medicine. Turning back to Dr. X, let us consider the following example. Two patients, 80 years old man with chronic heart diseases and pancreatitis and 30 years old woman without any special considerations delivered to the hospital. Both suffer from a severe form of COVID-19 and require lung ventilations. The deficiency of the ventilators leads to the difficult decision to choose one of them. A stalemate situation requires quick actions to save one of these lives, otherwise, both will die. The ethical principle about the distribution of the resources that says that all patients regardless of age, sex, gender, ethnicity should have equal access to medical assistance, unfortunately, could not be applied in this case (Wanchoo, 2020). As stated by Wanchoo (2020) the main criteria of selection in this term are saved life years, hence, priority should be given to younger patients. Considering Dr. Xs dilemma, it would be relevant to provide 30 years old woman with a ventilator, rather than 80 years old man. The woman has good chances to survive compared with 80 years old man not only because of younger age but an absence of chorionic diseases as well. A similar situation was observed in Italy during the 2020 spring virus outbreak. At that time older generation refused equipment for young people.

Shortage of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) also turned to be problematic during the pandemic. The crisis related to gowns, face masks, gloves, and face shields put the healthcare workers at great risk. Imagine Dr. X is assigned to regulate the problem of PPE deficit and needs to find a possible solution. One option is logical, production of PPE should be increased to rise supply (Wanchoo, 2020). Moreover, Wanchoo (2020) states that demanding equipment from non-health organizations is also possible. Another option offered by Dr. X could be restricting non-emergency or elective surgeries directing useful supply to the treatment of coronavirus.

To conclude, it could be said that the solution to the sub-dilemmas of coronavirus is a complex decision implemented in real-world conditions. COVID-19 pandemic considered as the main issue of investigation of this paper. Dr. X is an example of a healthcare worker faced with a confusing dilemma as well as representation of all medical personal, who struggled with COVID-19 last year. The healthcare workers problems including help in case of emergency, the choice between two lives, and the provision of equipment are investigated using healthcare ethical principles.

Reference

Wanchoo, J. (2020). Ethical Issues Related to Coronavirus Disease. Clinical Synopsis of COVID-19, 237249.