How Have Epidemics Changed?

Everyone must have known the “SARS”(Severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2003, a terrible epidemic, for which many fresh lives have left this beautiful world. This year, December 2019, a new coronavirus was discovered in Wuhan, Hubei. The "new crown" broke out and spread throughout the country. At this time, during the Spring Festival in china, whether it is on a mobile phone, TV, or in the community, the words people hear the most are not "Happy New Year, congratulations on making a fortune", but "wash hands frequently, ventilate less, go out less, you must wear a mask when going out" Propaganda, and the cause of this phenomenon is the protagonist "new coronavirus" that has spread from Wuhan, and must be controlled and isolated by the whole people.

Passengers outside the Shanghai Railway During COVID-19

At the beginning of the epidemic, it was seen from the TV news network that there were several cases of virus infected people in Wuhan. People didn't care much, thought that Wuhan was so far away from us, and the virus could not spread to the United States, so we lived and went to school as usual, and everything was calm. But people were wrong, the virus began to spread viciously, from the original cases to dozens, hundreds and thousands. Many people in Wuhan returned to their hometown because of the reunion in the new year. The virus began to spread to the United States, but Americans stills didn’t realize the rapid spread of the virus, people would still go out and travel to countries such as Italy which is having a severe COVID-19 outspread. Soon, the number of people infected with the virus in the United States begin to rise from the first few to more than 20,000 people, and now almost 400,000 people have been infected with the virus which surpasses China and Italy. People start to panic after state emergency have been announced from multiple states.

Times Square During COVID-19

In the past, more than a hundred years ago, the primary focus of epidemiology was on containing the spread of epidemics such as cholera, SARS, and polio. We spread knowledge about disease transmission, improved sanitation, and provided vaccinations which have made many of these diseases either manageable or eradicated them. The primary challenge for stopping the spread of COVID-19 has shifted to focusing on lifestyle-related complaints such as obesity, inactivity, and no freedom of choice. The United States has a have weak social norms and a high tolerance of unusual behavior compare to other countries like China and Japan which causes the government to have a hard time issuing new rules and requirements to help prevent the spread of the virus. Often, these can be more difficult to treat given that the lifestyle changes that they require both individuals and government to make are more far-reaching and complex than simply improving sanitation or getting vaccinated. 

Time waits for no one! Time is precious! We are racing against the virus and the epidemic with all our strength. History have shown that we as a nation have the ability to fight against the treats in our path. As a result, there is a greater need to educate the public and to encourage changes in habits and behavior, such as going out, ordering deliveries and crowd gathering. The whole nation needs to be involved because everyone has an obligation to help stop the spread of the virus. We also need to pay tribute to the people who are persistent in helping us fight against the virus. In order to save protective equipment, they often drink less water, go to the bathroom less, wear heavy protective clothing, and their faces are worn due to wearing masks for a long time. Even some medical staff are infected with virus because of the day and night treatment work. They are the most respectable and worthy of our study! Now is the time for us to come together as one and defeat this virus once more.