Did COVID-19 change the way we live for the better?

There is a global crisis on our hands. People are dying left and right. This pandemic has caused a shift in life for everyone. As of today, about 1.34 million people have died in less than a year. All this death is very morbid, but has anything beneficial come from this? Could COVID actually be a positive thing forcing us to be trapped in air conditioned homes, game areas, and entertainment centers with family? COVID-19 does kill people, but has the virus changed the way we live forever for the better?

The Coronavirus has destroyed the lives of countless people, but most countries have stepped in and slowed or even eradicated the Coronavirus. Countries have put aside their differences and are fighting a bigger enemy. This is definitely a positive result that COVID-19 has caused. Unfortunately the USA’s response has caused more damage than it should have and exacerbated the problem. The least complicated step that successful countries did was to have all residents wear a mask. Wearing a mask not only decreases the chances of you acquiring Coronavirus, but protects the other person as well. The mask stops most droplets from going out into the world, and the person next to you’s mask stops those droplets from going into their mouth. Masks are a strong deterrent of COVID-19. Home lock down has been a favorite in battling COVID globally. By sacrificing their economies and shutting everything down, lives have been saved. The full lock down prevented people from spreading the virus so the numbers went down to a manageable amount. Today with a partial lock down the majority of the world is keeping the virus at bay. The United States however, is playing a game of politics and not being cohesive in fighting this virus. As a result the public doesn’t know who to trust or what to do.

When a country decides to reopen, it has many things it has to consider. Communities that open too early will probably start a second wave. If you allow people to go about their normal business too soon, the cases will spike back up and you have to go into lockdown again. If you let people out too late the economy might not recover well and there might be a dead economy on our hands. The second thing to consider is the state of the country’s health systems. The pandemic has caused the doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff to work overtime for weeks and they are burnt out. As a result, emergency workers are not able to take as much time as they need to, so there is a higher chance that they rush. Many workers are getting COVID from this. Knowing when to open the economy is a tricky decision.

On the other hand, more people are keeping themselves clean. I have never seen anyone wash their hands more than during COVID. People who didn’t wash their hands are now doing it for the first time in years. And doctors are learning how to use ventilators, ventilators that can be used on multiple people! Doctors are being more efficient at treating people than during the beginning of COVID-19. Hospitals are being able to fit more people by fitting them in like Tetris. Doctors have also been able to treat people without getting sick. Better hygiene and more efficient doctors are all another positive outcome of COVID-19. 

Another beneficial event that occurred because of the pandemic is that most countries have learned to work together to kill this killer disease. In the past, nations didn't work together, and kept to themselves. America still has not learned how to work with other playmates. In the USA when the rest of the world was suffering, people pretended nothing was going on. When the pandemic first caught wind in the United States, no evasive measures were taken, because the leader thought this was a hoax. When the first cases showed up in America, no one enforced anything because most people didn’t care about others. When people started dying in masses, the president thought “Maybe we should do something.” And that was a full on country shutdown that got too political. The ‘lockdown’ was meant to let hospitals have a reasonable amount of cases to help people, but instead it became a political debate and people were, and still are, refusing to stay home and relax. The government was too lenient about the law on wearing masks, and staying 6 feet apart. What the government should have done and should be doing is to keep everyone in a strict lockdown for 2 weeks or have it be mandatory to wear a mask. This would kill Coronavirus in much less time and there would be less deaths. Hopefully the United States will learn the lessons of other nations and turn this sinking ship into a learning experience before it’s too late.

Most people think that staying home for many months is detrimental to us, but I think it actually became a positive event. For one thing, there is less pollution from decreased transportation usage. People have changed their businesses and as a result of this, there are more business opportunities online and in person. The in person businesses had to modify the businesses to be pandemic safe, thus causing more jobs that make buildings to be CDC safe. There are companies like Citrix that have taken off with its online business, and after the pandemic is over they could get more people to work there and help give the economy a boost. 

There are also benefits to working from home during this pandemic, and after it is over. You don’t have to wake up as early as you used to. People only woke up early to drive to work. This lets you get more sleep which removes stress and helps you work better. Another benefit is that nature loves you not driving to work because you make less pollution. You let out the same amount of pollution if you use heating, ac, refrigeration, electricity, cell phone, and sick gaming computer, as driving 45 minutes to work every week day. So this lockdown helps improve work, reduce stress, and help nature. 

Another COVID benefit is that families are bonding more. The connections people are making help the family stay together. Before when they had to wake up before normal humans should, get ready for work, and work for 8 hours. Now they wake up at a normal time and get to really know the people who they live with. Families are now able to have more time for game nights, movie nights, and bonding nights. 

Families are learning how to have fun together without spending too much. Some families have only had fun by going to the movies, vacations, cruises, ziplining, or going to the arcade. Now families are playing cards, watching movies at home, taking walks, riding bikes and talking together. They are not only saving money, but they are spending simple time with each other. But there is a negative to this. Kids with abusive parents now have more time with them. Some kids end up dead from this, or beaten, or ignored. School was their only escape and now they have none. Is all the good from families spending time together worth the abused kids?

A very obvious negative consequence of COVID-19 is all the people who are living alone. There are 35.7 million Americans who have no company in their house, 28% of households have one person in them. Isolated people have had no physical contact with other people in months. Humans are social creatures who need others to stay sane, this alone time can really mess with people in horrible ways. Now that places are opening, they are able to be social and live again once more, except if they have health issues, or know someone with a serious health condition, or if they are old. One-third of the world’s population has health issues, and most people have more than 3 friends or a grandparent. Luckily there are some people who help these people out by bringing them food, water and helping these secluded and hurt people. The Coronavirus has brought out the best in people who normally wouldn’t help.

Now in nursing homes people have more chances of getting infected, but they also have better people to take care of them. This positive negative balance helps some people survive and stay sane during this pandemic. This allows older people to be with other people with less of a risk. Many specialists have been going to nursing homes and helping people stay safe. There are also new rules that limit visitor time to keep people healthy. This is bringing better medical aid to people who will need it during and after the Coronavirus.

Is COVID bringing us a better lifestyle, or will it be remembered as only a nightmare? Does the outlook of less pollution out way all the deaths and internal scarring? Does the negative impact of all this make COVID just bad, or do the positive impacts bring us hope in the world again. I believe that if the lessons of COVID are not forgotten and are used, COVID will be an overall positive change for the world at large. Business owners are finding out that having people stay home to work is cheaper, and the workers are finding that home is more comfortable. Doctors are learning about how to use a ventilator and other new tools. And there are also medical advancements that will save lives in times of need. Most of the world has learned how to cooperate with each other and help others in need. So far I don’t think the governing body of the United States has learned. Most of the citizens and other political groups have learned to try to find a solution. I can just hope that with the new change in government in January this country will create and enforce laws to end COVID. Then we can finally get on with our normal lives.

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Good sources of information I used

Combating misinformation youtube.com/watch?v=5CRxyHU9Oxo

Mask youtube.com/watch?v=eAdanPfQdCA

What not to do youtube.com/watch?v=TxM_JbX9DPU

Mental effects on quarantining and benefits youtube.com/watch?v=UKp7H5y06yI

Asymptomatic people youtube.com/watch?v=qcTKDkmDa2c

Another general understanding of COVID youtube.com/watch?v=BtN-goy9VOY&list=UUsXVk37bltHxD1rDPwtNM8Q&index=1&app=desktop

Understanding the rise and trends of COVID youtube.com/watch?v=54XLXg4fYsc

Another mask video youtube.com/watch?v=Y47t9qLc9I4

Please understand that all these videos are simplified and sources are in the descriptions of each of the videos.