Abstract: This piece is a lab report assesses the Covid-19 pandemic and identifies ways to stop the spread. It explains why the pandemic is at the point it is and gives an insight on how other countries are dealing withe the pandemic. This piece also incorporates images to aid the explanation of the topic.

Assessing the increase of Covid-19 cases in the U.S. and identifying ways to stop the spread.

Abstract

With the spread of Covid-19, the world we once knew has been changed drastically. Covid-19  is very different from other known viruses. It is easily transmitted and affects people with varying symptoms in different levels of immunity. After a year of living through the pandemic, the virus isn’t even close to disappearing. Lack of mask mandates and nationwide lockdown are big contributors to the soaring 33 millions cases and half a million deaths due to Covid-19 in the U.S. The vaccine rollouts might just be the solution to inhibit the spread of the virus, with the combination of mask mandates and social distancing, and put an end to this pandemic.

Introduction

What is Covid-19? Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, that appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. “Covid-19 is a respiratory condition caused by a coronavirus. When an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, droplets or tiny particles called aerosols carry the virus into the air from their nose or mouth. Anyone who is within 6 feet of that person can breathe it into their lungs” (WebMd.com). If infected with Covid-19, symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of smell or taste may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. 

In their press release on January 21st, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the first recorded case of Covid-19 in the U.S. On March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 to be a pandemic because over 118,000 cases were reported in over 110 countries around the world. On March 13th, 2020, President Trump announced Covid-19 to be a national emergency and that week, most of the states went into a lockdown.

Methods and Materials

The CDC and research institutes, such as Johns Hopkins, have issued guidelines to help stop the spread. The virus spreads very quickly and the CDC quarantine guidelines strongly urges wearing masks because they are “simple barriers to help prevent your respiratory droplets from reaching others” (cdc.gov). The CDC also iterates that “a mask is NOT a substitute for social distancing. Masks should still be worn in addition to staying at least 6 feet apart.” (cdc.gov). The CDC also provides instructions on how to isolate and quarantine if infected with Covid-19. For asymptomatic positive people should “isolate for a minimum of 10 days” (cdc.gov). The guidelines for symptomatic positive people are slightly different. They should “isolate for at least 10 days and show an improvement in symptoms AND be fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications” (cdc.gov). 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized Covid-19 vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson in the U.S. because “an effective vaccine will protect someone who receives it by lowering the chance of getting COVID-19 if the person encounters the coronavirus” (hopkinsmedicine.org). The goal is to reach herd immunity so that the virus does not spread anymore.

Results

According to the Forbes magazine, wearing a mask is indeed very effective. Combined with social distancing, weaning masks significantly decreases the transmission rate of the virus from 100% to 1.5% and helps stop the spread.

Failure to go into a complete nationwide lockdown, and the lack of mask mandates and social distancing, the United States is experiencing the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic with 32 million cases and half a million deaths, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Data Tracker. In the meantime, New Zealand showed that it is indeed possible to eradicate the virus. The island country mandated masks and went into a strict lockdown “resulting in a total of 7 weeks of what was essentially a national stay-at-home order” (thelancet.com). They had their last case in May of 2020 and by June of 2020, “the government announced a move to Alert Level 1, thereby effectively declaring the pandemic over in New Zealand, 103 days after the first identified case” (thelancet.com).

The CDC Data Tracker further reports that with 229 million Covid-19 vaccine doses administered, the U.S. cases have been decreased by 10%. UC Davis Health states that “we will still need to wear masks or face coverings and maintain social distancing for the foreseeable future. We can stop these measures when we achieve some level of herd immunity. That’s going to take at least 70% of the population to be immune.” The three authorized vaccines have different procedures and varying levels of efficacy as shown in this table below.

Discussion

There are a lot of reasons why the cases in the U.S. have been increasing. Ever since the start of the pandemic, there has been a resistance towards wearing masks and quarantine from the Americans. In May of 2020, there were anti-mask and anti-lockdown protests in North Carolina and Michigan “to demand the state reopen more quickly like its neighbors to the south.” (washingtonpost.com). New Zealand was able to get out of the pandemic because the government imposed strict lockdown rules while the U.S. government has instead been pushing to reopen the states in the name of developing the economy and a large number of states do not even have a mask mandate. Only “twenty-six state governments currently require people to wear face coverings in public” (aarp.org). Colleges and other public places, like restaurants and gyms, have also been reopened which does not help stop the spread. While developing the economy is an important issue, curbing the spread of Covid-19 is a futher imminent issue. With the enforcement of mask mandates and social distancing, while the distribution of the vaccine, the U.S. will finally be able to eradicate the virus and move into a post pandemic world. 

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/

Covid Vaccine Comparison [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://media.nurse.org/images/blog/2021/03/19/vaccine_comparison_.png

COVID-19 roundup: CORONAVIRUS now a national emergency, with plans to increase testing. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://www.ajmc.com/view/covid19-roundup2

COVID-19 vaccine: What you need to know. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine-what-you-need-to-know

Ducharme, J. (2020, March 11). The who just declared coronavirus covid-19 a pandemic. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://time.com/5791661/who-coronavirus-pandemic-declaration/

Learn how the COVID-19 vaccine Works, potential side effects and more. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://health.ucdavis.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/how-covid-19-vaccines-work.html

Markowitz, A. (n.d.). Does your state have a mask mandate due to coronavirus? Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2020/states-mask-mandates-coronavirus.html

Nazario, B. (2021, February 02). Symptoms of Coronavirus: Early Signs, serious symptoms and more. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://www.webmd.com/lung/covid-19-symptoms#1

Shepherd, K. (2020, May 13). Tensions over restrictions spark violence and defiance among protesters as TRUMP pushes states to reopen. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/13/protest-violence-coronavirus/

Summers, J. (2020). Potential lessons from the Taiwan and New Zealand health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Potential Lessons from the Taiwan and New Zealand Health Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Transmission Probabilities [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ef91d0e6cd39700069cfe29/960×0.jpg?fit=scale