Obviously we still (up to date) haven’t developed a vaccine. People still aren’t wearing masks nor social distancing.
This article is an add-on to what I did one year ago:
Here are the lessons that the United States should learn in order to prepare for the next epidemic or pandemic:
- Hygiene. We need to work on this one a lot. American teachers starting from kindergarten always usher the kids to wash their hands, but as they grow up, many children don’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom. Why? They don’t have the habit to do so.
In fact, this isn’t the only concern for public health. In England, (as of 2015), 60% of the women wash their hands after going to the bathroom, while only an astonishing 38% of the men do the same. There is no doubt that these numbers will appear similar in America.
How does this concern the COVID-19 pandemic? Well, if people don’t wash their hands after going outside or to the bathroom, they are more likely to spread it to other people or to themselves. In general, humans touch their faces 23 times per hour, and if they touch their faces with dirty hands, they increase their risk of getting the flu and ultimately, coronavirus.
Hand-washing also isn’t the only thing about hygiene. When a pandemic occurs, it is also important to WEAR A MASK. I took a brief look at the Capitol riot (it does not demonstrate patriotism at all) and noticed that only one or two people in the crowd wore a mask. That’s an insane number, considering that the pandemic is getting worse in the United States.
I really don’t get why wearing a mask is that hard. When you do that, you protect yourself, other people, and it covers your face when you have to sneeze. But when you don’t wear a mask, you endanger yourself and have a higher risk of spreading diseases to others.
Many people keep thinking that “they can’t breathe” when you wear a mask. But then why are masks even invented if it prevents people from breathing?! It makes no sense at all.
So to sum it up: wash your hands and wear a mask during a pandemic.
2. Government response. America’s response to this pandemic was WAY too slow. When the coronavirus came about in around February and March 2019, there should have been tests and quarantine right away when the first cases appeared. Did it happen? Of course not. The virus kept spreading from person to person, from city to city, and state to state.
In addition, none of this would have happened if the stay-at-home order was enforced in February 2019. By quarantine, the business in America would slow down a lot, but it would benefit much more to the public health of others. The United States would have caught the few cases in the country, and within a month or two of quarantine, life would have gone to normal the fast way.
But stay-at-home orders did not occur until April, a month too late. It lasted for about two months until some citizens became impatient and decided to run everywhere.
To prevent this, the government needs to act earlier and faster. When the next pandemic or epidemic takes place, stay-at-home orders need to be incorporated immediately, and tests would need to be done by the first week of the new virus.
3. Social distancing and quarantine. This goes a lot with the hygiene part, but it is also an unique topic.
The main point is that if you know that there is a virus, it is easier to social distance. Yes, you can rarely go to restaurants and malls, but make that a limit to one to two times per week. When you absolutely have to go somewhere, remember to wear a mask and keep a distance of 6 feet from each one another. But many people in the USA and around the world still don’t believe that there is a very deadly and contagious disease lurking around the world. This is where the “seeing is believing” principle fails. You don’t see air, but you know it is there. You don’t see COVID-19, but you should know that it is there because of the many hospitalizations and deaths this horrible disease has caused. You can also search up some research about this virus, where science proves everything.
So if you know that there is a virus, it is much easier to quarantine and social distance. We need to change the American mindset from: “Oh, this is just the flu” to “This is a deadly disease that I need to be aware of, to ensure the health of the public”.
There is a great majority of people who have done the above things (except the governmental issues). I thank everyone who wears a mask, keeps social distance, quarantines him/herself, and washes his/her hands.
But these are the three main points that everyone should consider. For the governmental support, we should raise more petitions and funding for the health department.
Most of this also applies to the world. The whole world needs to improve.
I hope this helps the general health of the world, and thank you for reading.