How dangerous is the covid 19 pandemic?

1.Definition:

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused

by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first
known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease
has since spread worldwide, leading to an ongoing pandemic.

Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable, but often include fever, cough,

headache, fatigue, breathing difficulties, and loss of smell and taste.
Symptoms may begin one to fourteen days after exposure to the virus. At
least a third of people who are infected do not develop noticeable symptoms.
Of those people who develop symptoms noticeable enough to be classed as
patients, most (81%) develop mild to moderate symptoms (up to
mild pneumonia), while 14% develop severe symptoms (dyspnea, hypoxia, or
more than 50% lung involvement on imaging), and 5% suffer critical
symptoms (respiratory failure, shock, or multiorgan dysfunction). Older
people are at a higher risk of developing severe symptoms. Some people
continue to experience a range of effects (long COVID) for months after
recovery, and damage to organs has been observed. Multi-year studies are
underway to further investigate the long-term effects of the disease.

2.How does COVID-19 affect the human body?

While viruses of the same strain, such as influenza virus only cause common
colds, Covid 19 has a wide and deep impact on organs and body parts.

-Affects the lungs:

+According to experts, the lungs are the most affected organs when infected
with COVID-19. Symptoms of pneumonia usually begin in the second week
of illness. The viruses will now attack lung cells, especially the Cilia cell
layer. Meanwhile, this layer of cells gathers around and is responsible for
protecting mucosal cells. The mucosa (mucous membrane) plays an
important role in protecting lung tissue against the impact of foreign objects
such as dust, pollen, viruses, etc.

+Thus, when the SARS-CoV-2 virus attacks the Cilia cell layer, it will reduce
the function of the mucosa. Therefore, lung tissue cannot be protected and
will be damaged by the virus. At this time, the lungs will be inflamed, the
activity of supplying oxygen to the blood is delayed.

=>People with COVID-19 will initially have symptoms and signs similar to
colds, that is fever, sneezing, coughing, etc. Days later, the disease progresses
and develops into acute pneumonia, then severe pneumonia. At this time, the
lungs are severely damaged, leading to respiratory failure, so the patient will
have difficulty - even unable to breathe. If not treated in time, there is a
possibility of death.

-Sensory nervous system impairment:

One of the typical symptoms when the body is infected with covid 19 is loss
of smell, and possibly loss of taste. It is even considered an early sign of the
disease. Up to 60% of positive people have loss of taste. And among them, ¼
patients show signs of loss of smell and taste before other symptoms.

-Negative impact on other organs and parts:

Besides the lungs and sensory nervous system, people with COVID-19 may
experience a number of other complications. For example, red eyes, eye pain,
headache, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, liver - kidney
failure, sores on the feet, etc. Especially, the immune system is severely
weakened due to the need to work "overload" to fight infection.

3.The impact of COVID-19 on the economy:

The Covid-19 pandemic has comprehensively and deeply affected all

countries in the world and is evolving in a very complicated and
unpredictable way, pushing the world and many countries into a double crisis
of health and economy. In terms of economy, most countries fell into a
serious recession, the global economy and trade declined sharply, including
Vietnam.
Amidst the slowing down of the economy with interruptions to production,
the functioning of global supply chains has been disrupted. Transport being
limited and even restricted among countries has further slowed global
economic activities. Most importantly, some panic among consumers and
firms has distorted usual consumption patterns and created market anomalies.
Global financial markets have also been responsive to the changes and global
stock indices have plunged.

Reports of the IMF and WB (October 2020) forecast a decline in the world
economy in 2020 (from -5.2% to -4.4%). UNCTAD forecasts that global FDI
will decline by about 40% compared to 2019 and continue to decrease by 5-
10% in 2021; The WTO (October 2020) forecasts that world trade will
decline by about 9.2% in 2020. Global inflation in 2020 is forecast to be low
(1.8-2%) due to weak demand and falling oil prices. strong and stands at a
low level.

In the world's three largest economies, the EU is forecast to contract by

-7.5%, the US by -5.9%, and China by 1.2% of GDP. To prevent the
economic shock caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, countries have launched
support packages in a timely manner. Specifically, the US government
pledged to spend more than 3 trillion USD to rescue the economy. On
October 1, 2020, the US House of Representatives approved a $2.2 trillion
Covid-19 relief package. The Chinese government, at the meeting of the
National People's Congress (May 28, 2020) pledged to spend 4 trillion yuan
(equivalent to 559 billion USD) for an economic stimulus package, no less
than the stimulus package. If the situation is still difficult, the possibility of
having to increase the size of the bailout packages is inevitable.
4. The impact of covid 19 on education:
- The COVID-19 pandemic affects every country in many ways, including
education.
-Non-public preschool institutions lack funds to pay for teachers and staff and
maintain operations; Some facilities are at risk of being closed. Many
preschool teachers lost their jobs and faced many difficulties.
- Most schools have to close and switch to online education: Countries and
schools were not prepared for this change. Universities and colleges in
developing countries face serious difficulties in terms of IT infrastructure and
the state of Internet access.
- Impact on students: The disruption caused by the sudden closure of
campuses and the rapid transition to online education has disrupted the lives
of students worldwide, both physically and mentally.
- Assessments and Exams: Many educational institutions are plagued with
difficult choices about online assessment and the increased risk of cheating.
At the same time, the debt situation has also increased a lot, due to the low
ability to acquire knowledge when learning online.
5.Positive:
In addition to the negative impacts of the covid 19 pandemic on the soldiers.
There are still some positives.
 Reduce air and water pollution
One of the positive effects of the Covid-19
pandemic is a significant reduction in air
pollution in many parts of the world, especially
in China, the US and the industrialized nations
of Europe.
Thanks to less traffic, closed airports and very
few planes in the sky, there are fewer
greenhouse gases, less air pollution, less
methane, and the ozone layer is recovering.

Italy is one of many countries severely damaged

by Covid-19, but perhaps a small victory for
this country is the famous tourist destination
Venice now with clear blue waters. the decrease
in tourist arrivals due to the epidemic; With
motorboats out of service and other water
pollutants have been significantly reduced. In
most parts of Venice, we can see many fish in
the canals.
 Reduce waste and disperse human density
As countries close schools, shops, factories and entertainment venues,
emissions will decrease, because most people work from home, use less
plastic, print less. , travel less and shopping less...The vehicles are also
reduced.
 Some sectors are develop
Online services from buying and selling clothes, shoes, machinery,
home appliances..., to food, necessities...have had the opportunity to
expand the service sector and increase the number of customers as well
as sales during the pandemic.
6.Prevention and life skills
In order for ourselves, our families and society to have a safe life during
the covid 19 pandemic, we need to take some of the following measures:
1. Well comply with the 5K regulations of the Ministry of Health
2. Regularly wash your hands properly with soap under clean running
water, or with an antiseptic solution
3. Do not travel to epidemic areas. Avoid going to crowded places.
4. Wear a mask in public, on public transport, and to a medical facility
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Cover your mouth and
nose when you cough or sneeze
6. Increase exercise, physical training, proper nutrition to build a healthy
lifestyle.
7. Clean and ventilate your home, clean frequently touched surfaces.
8. If you have signs of fever, cough, sneezing, and difficulty breathing,
isolate yourself at home, wear a mask, and call the nearest medical
facility for advice, examination, and treatment.
9. Self-isolation, health monitoring, full medical declaration if returning
from epidemic areas.
10. For people with underlying diseases: people with underlying
diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, kidney failure,
 lung disease, etc. need to strictly adhere to prescribed treatment, and
have their disease checked. themselves, must work together with the
doctor to set up situations that may occur during the epidemic and
response plans to not be passive or unexpected.

For a good world, no epidemic, let's join hands to repel covid 19.