In December 2019, several individuals in Wuhan, a city in China’s Hubei Province, experienced symptoms of an unusual viral pneumonia-like illness. Five years later, that illness, now etched into history as the Coronavirus (COVID-19), has taken over 20 million lives, cost trillions of dollars (disputed number), disrupted the education for 1.6 billion students, and directly impacted over 777 million people around the world. Yet, in a similar and brighter spotlight, the response to the pandemic included significant transformations in healthcare and record-breaking vaccine development and production rates, setting the world back on track toward a new normal.
Healthcare Infrastructure
The early surge in cases in the United States pushed healthcare systems to critical limits, forcing delays in elective procedures as well as shortages in staffing and supplies with interrupted supply chains. Emergency department rates subsequently declined as individuals became immensely fearful of contracting COVID-19 while at the hospital. Personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators became key points in conversation as a limited supply made it difficult to properly manage an overwhelming caseload. Moreover, families and communities were forced to support their loved ones from afar, as visitation rates dropped exponentially to prevent the further spread of the disease.
However, since then, non-COVID-19 admissions have rebounded to almost normal numbers seen prior to the pandemic. ICUs have expanded staff and patient capacity to accommodate potential pandemic-level care. The pandemic’s nature and revisions to Medicare and Medicaid coverage led to the exponential increase of telemedicine initiatives. In 2020, McKinsey & Company reported that, compared to just 11% in 2019, over 76% of consumers were interested in continuing to use virtual telehealth moving forward. The same report noted that providers saw a 50 to 175-time increase in the rate of telehealth appointments.
Vaccine Development and Distribution
The pandemic brought about a revolution in the way companies developed vaccines. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines set new records as development times were cut down from years to months. By 2025, these mRNA platforms are being explored for other diseases, including influenza and HIV. Boosters, which improve an individual’s immunity after receiving a vaccine, continue to be pushed out specifically targeting COVID-19.
Disease Surveillance
Similarly, disease surveillance systems improved dramatically to help monitor and track COVID-19 cases around the world. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) in 2020, using wastewater data to track the spread of the virus that caused COVID-19. The Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) helped researchers share and track variants of COVID-19 in real-time as well as other viral diseases.
Health Communication
Soaring rates of misinformation, disinformation, and xenophobia across social media highlighted an immediate need for accurate and culturally sensitive messaging. One-third of Asians in the U.S. knew another Asian person who had been attacked or harassed as a result of the pandemic. This number was significantly higher among Chinese adults in the United States. Researchers attribute these rates to the virus’ origins in China as well as rhetoric from Republican lawmakers, particularly President Donald Trump. Simultaneously, vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 skepticism still remain rampant today, with the CDC reporting that the number of childhood vaccinations has dropped by about 11 million doses in 2020 compared to previous years. With recent restrictions on fact-checking by large social media platforms, the efforts of public health officials continue to mount with respect to improving health and digital literacy. The World Health Organization has called on political leaders to take stronger stances on developing frameworks to challenge misinformation and encourage individuals to make informed health decisions.
Economy
Federal and state initiatives also sought to improve the economic landscape. Signed into law in 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act allocated $2.2 trillion to help the U.S. recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Stimulus checks, increased unemployment assistance, and loans for businesses aimed to keep the American economy afloat through the thick of the pandemic. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed at the end of 2020, preserved these initially temporary CARES Act initiatives as the pandemic roared on.
Ultimately, the pandemic exposed wide-reaching vulnerabilities in public health and healthcare systems worldwide. However, its precedence also facilitated collaborations and initiatives—many still around today—that serve as a blueprint for future responses to global pandemics.
By Lois Angelo