A spike of the pandemic in Europe suggests a resurgence in infection has begun. A report in Postgraduate Medical Journal predicts three social waves of the COVID-19 outbreak that will follow on from it. We are treading new ground here so nothing is cast in stone. Nonetheless we decided to share this most interesting piece of information.
We Have to See Three Social Waves of COVID-19 Through
Authors Temitope Fisayo and Sonia Tsukagoshi summarize their three social waves of the COVID-19 outbreak as follows:
The First Wave
An alarming number of people have suffered death or disability from severe acute respiratory syndrome. Many of those less severely affected are still seriously debilitated, although clinically cured. More outbreaks will continue until we have herd immunity by whatever means.
The Second Wave
The effect of first wave precautions lingers on, in the form of people that stayed away from health care facilities. Or who missed progressive disease treatments / routine screening. We don’t know how doctors in primary care will navigate the backlog.
The Third Wave
The third wave comprises the social manifestations of the pandemic that will linger far longer. Health inequalities have increased. Progress with education has stepped back, especially in schools where distance learning did not materialize.
Loss of parental income will affect the quality of children’s lives. It will also reduce government income available for remedial action. Domestic violence and child abuse increased during lock downs. We cannot wish these consequences away.
The Pandemic Will Not be Over Until We Reckon With This
The pandemic will not be over until we account for these social aspects too, say Temitope Fisayo and Sonia Tsukagoshi. However, we have time on our hands, because their third wave is still ‘far out to sea’.
The future is not cast in stone. The third wave doesn’t have to crash on our undefended shores. We can mitigate the power of the surge, but we have to start now.
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