Never did I think that I could contribute to society simply by staying at home and doing nothing. Yet here I am. Here we all are. We are in the midst of the 21st century's fourth pandemic- the novel coronavirus, spreading the disease known as COVID-19.
This is hardly the first pandemic humanity has endured. This isn't even the first pandemic the Modern Age has seen. After SARS, Swine Flu and Ebola, the coronavirus has added itself to the equation and has taken the world by storm. In this article, I will attempt to clarify exactly what COVID-19 is and how I think it will affect the world.
This particular coronavirus is one of seven kinds of coronavirus capable of infecting humans. In fact, SARS and MERS are diseases also transmitted by coronaviruses; specifically, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. This particular disease is transmitted by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2; it is very similar to the one that causes SARS or severe acute respiratory syndrome. Coronaviruses are unique in that they may infect animals and hybridize into new strains that may make people sick in new ways. This is how we suspect the new coronavirus came about.
Of course, there isn't any need to worry about any coronavirus at the moment except COVID-19. One coronavirus is enough to occupy our attention; we don't need to burden ourselves with dark thoughts of the other six.
COVID-19 was so named as it stands for Coronavirus Disease 2019. As of now, scientists have identified two strains of the virus, each having minute differences from one another but roundly the same in their effects. It is normal for viruses to undergo mutations as they jump from host to host, but there is no evidence to suggest that the virus is getting any worse, and preventing yourself from getting it follows the same principles as established.
Now, a little more information about viruses in general. Viruses are interesting in that they are acellular; they do not possess any of the properties of a typical cell and violate the cell theory. Normal cells are composed of cytoplasm and a nucleus; viruses are simply packets of nucleic acids. They are either composed of DNA or RNA, both of which play a great role in making the building blocks of our body, which you might know as proteins. DNA acts as the blueprint- it provides instructions on how proteins must be made. RNA 'transcribes' that information over to special structures in the cell called ribosomes, which use the RNA to make the proteins.
Viruses can, therefore, replicate by simply duplicating themselves or transmit diseases by latching on to a host (in this case, us) and using the machinery of our cells to make their own viral proteins, which cause harm to our body. SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus, much like HIV and SARS-CoV. That's why heat is so fatal to the virus; the RNA molecule unravels at high temperatures in a process known as denaturation. Don't get any bright ideas about using it to your advantage, however; we won't be able to handle the high temperature any better than the virus can.
Now, how will the disease affect the world?
Already, the phenomenon of social distancing is having a great impact on how the virus is spreading. Staying away from people and desisting from touch contact is vastly improving our chances of not getting the virus. But depending on how long the world will suffer under the virus's effects, we might need to desist from touch contact or stay out of our fellow man's proximity for a long time. And how will that impact us, psychologically speaking, considering we humans are social animals who relish the company and touch of our fellow men?
Depending on how long the virus remains a prevalent threat, abstaining from touch contact may even become the norm. Hugs and high-fives may become a thing of the past. People might greet each other without the customary handshake. And that isn't a future I look forward to, as someone who recognizes the importance of positive touch.
Will society change permanently in some significant way because of the novel coronavirus?
Society certainly has changed in the past in response to diseases that spread on a similar scale to the coronavirus. Bubonic plague impacted serfdom, slavery and the Industrial Revolution in tremendous ways. Epidemics always have had impacts on social, political and economic stability in every country touched by them. They touch various aspects of human life and change them significantly. How the diseases spread say a lot about the social organization of a country; how it cares for its poor, its labourers and its elderly. In order to fight the pandemic, we need to first look at the ones who are the most vulnerable and the most likely to spread the disease.
Pandemics may seem to come about randomly, but they don't. They come about because of a country's cultures and behaviours and spread by its society's organization and movement. To fight it, we must work together. Humanity must band together and stand against the pandemic as a united force. The health of the most vulnerable also defines our health in the future.
I cannot say how the pandemic will shape the future. But what I do know is that if humanity remembers and understands the concepts of empathy, altruism, kindness and teamwork; if we do not give in to panic and rely on the solidity of science; if we put aside our desires for the greater good of everyone on the planet, we may unify under a single banner. It isn't easy. It will never be easy to prioritize an intangible concept over ourselves. But what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, and if humanity unifies, we will come out of this pandemic kinder, stronger and better because of it.
--------------------------
For more math and science-focused articles that will be uploaded frequently, please follow my blog on Blogger.com! It's easy- just create your own account on Blogger, click on 'Reading list', 'edit', then 'add'. Thank you so much for reading.
This is hardly the first pandemic humanity has endured. This isn't even the first pandemic the Modern Age has seen. After SARS, Swine Flu and Ebola, the coronavirus has added itself to the equation and has taken the world by storm. In this article, I will attempt to clarify exactly what COVID-19 is and how I think it will affect the world.
This particular coronavirus is one of seven kinds of coronavirus capable of infecting humans. In fact, SARS and MERS are diseases also transmitted by coronaviruses; specifically, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. This particular disease is transmitted by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2; it is very similar to the one that causes SARS or severe acute respiratory syndrome. Coronaviruses are unique in that they may infect animals and hybridize into new strains that may make people sick in new ways. This is how we suspect the new coronavirus came about.
Of course, there isn't any need to worry about any coronavirus at the moment except COVID-19. One coronavirus is enough to occupy our attention; we don't need to burden ourselves with dark thoughts of the other six.
COVID-19 was so named as it stands for Coronavirus Disease 2019. As of now, scientists have identified two strains of the virus, each having minute differences from one another but roundly the same in their effects. It is normal for viruses to undergo mutations as they jump from host to host, but there is no evidence to suggest that the virus is getting any worse, and preventing yourself from getting it follows the same principles as established.
Now, a little more information about viruses in general. Viruses are interesting in that they are acellular; they do not possess any of the properties of a typical cell and violate the cell theory. Normal cells are composed of cytoplasm and a nucleus; viruses are simply packets of nucleic acids. They are either composed of DNA or RNA, both of which play a great role in making the building blocks of our body, which you might know as proteins. DNA acts as the blueprint- it provides instructions on how proteins must be made. RNA 'transcribes' that information over to special structures in the cell called ribosomes, which use the RNA to make the proteins.
Viruses can, therefore, replicate by simply duplicating themselves or transmit diseases by latching on to a host (in this case, us) and using the machinery of our cells to make their own viral proteins, which cause harm to our body. SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus, much like HIV and SARS-CoV. That's why heat is so fatal to the virus; the RNA molecule unravels at high temperatures in a process known as denaturation. Don't get any bright ideas about using it to your advantage, however; we won't be able to handle the high temperature any better than the virus can.
Now, how will the disease affect the world?
Already, the phenomenon of social distancing is having a great impact on how the virus is spreading. Staying away from people and desisting from touch contact is vastly improving our chances of not getting the virus. But depending on how long the world will suffer under the virus's effects, we might need to desist from touch contact or stay out of our fellow man's proximity for a long time. And how will that impact us, psychologically speaking, considering we humans are social animals who relish the company and touch of our fellow men?
Depending on how long the virus remains a prevalent threat, abstaining from touch contact may even become the norm. Hugs and high-fives may become a thing of the past. People might greet each other without the customary handshake. And that isn't a future I look forward to, as someone who recognizes the importance of positive touch.
Will society change permanently in some significant way because of the novel coronavirus?
Society certainly has changed in the past in response to diseases that spread on a similar scale to the coronavirus. Bubonic plague impacted serfdom, slavery and the Industrial Revolution in tremendous ways. Epidemics always have had impacts on social, political and economic stability in every country touched by them. They touch various aspects of human life and change them significantly. How the diseases spread say a lot about the social organization of a country; how it cares for its poor, its labourers and its elderly. In order to fight the pandemic, we need to first look at the ones who are the most vulnerable and the most likely to spread the disease.
Pandemics may seem to come about randomly, but they don't. They come about because of a country's cultures and behaviours and spread by its society's organization and movement. To fight it, we must work together. Humanity must band together and stand against the pandemic as a united force. The health of the most vulnerable also defines our health in the future.
I cannot say how the pandemic will shape the future. But what I do know is that if humanity remembers and understands the concepts of empathy, altruism, kindness and teamwork; if we do not give in to panic and rely on the solidity of science; if we put aside our desires for the greater good of everyone on the planet, we may unify under a single banner. It isn't easy. It will never be easy to prioritize an intangible concept over ourselves. But what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, and if humanity unifies, we will come out of this pandemic kinder, stronger and better because of it.
--------------------------
For more math and science-focused articles that will be uploaded frequently, please follow my blog on Blogger.com! It's easy- just create your own account on Blogger, click on 'Reading list', 'edit', then 'add'. Thank you so much for reading.
Comments
Post a Comment