COVID-19 and its impact
Image courtesy of Unsplash.com.
Grace Myers, staff writer
The following piece is written as a follow up from a previous article. Read that previous article here.
Just a few months ago, in February 2020, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) was not rapidly spreading. In March 2020, however, the virus was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO defines a pandemic as “the worldwide spread of a new disease.”
What started as 11 positive cases in the United States has now grown to be 427,460 cases and 14,696 deaths, as of April 9, 2020, according to the CDC. The state of New York currently has the highest number of COVID-19 cases according to the majority of data collections.
In an effort to stop the spread of the virus, schools and the majority of non-essential businesses have closed and many events have been postponed or cancelled.
In terms of relevance to South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster has issued an executive “home or work” order. This order requires that South Carolinians stay home unless they are an essential worker or performing essential tasks.
However, despite efforts to contain the virus, President Trump said during a recent press conference the Coronavirus could last into the summer, even as far as July or August, according to CBS News.
As the virus continues to spread, healthcare workers remain on the frontlines. “Before COVID-19 I only wore a face mask when needed for precaution,” said healthcare worker Carla Livingston who works at the Regional Medical Center, in Orangeburg, S.C.
Orangeburg has an estimated number of 37 COVID-19 cases. “COVID-19 has definitely changed the way I will approach healthcare from now on for my safety. Now, I will forever wear a face mask when working with patients.”
Livingston continued saying, “When this pandemic started in China you couldn’t really comprehend the seriousness of the disease. It wasn’t until I had to put on all PPE (personal protective equipment) to handle a patient that was positive for it to sink in that this is real, and it’s here. That is when my job became emotionally and mentally draining.”
Livingston is also a mother to two young children. “You realize you are now at risk and your family. I had to totally surrender myself to God and put on my full armor of righteousness to be at peace with my work environment. I have tried to be smart about washing my hands and not touching my face. I take off my shoes and clothes at my back door now after work and head straight for the shower. The hardest part of this was telling my girls I can’t hold them or hug them. We are huggers, so by the third day we were experiencing emotional breakdowns. We have now adjusted to this new temporary routine.”
COVID-19 affects everyone, no matter who they are.
For the most up to date information visit the CDC’s Coronavirus page here.
