The Physical Ramifications and Psychological Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic

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Sociology

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The Physical Ramifications and Psychological Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Upon entering the human body, the coronavirus targets healthy cells. It replicates itself in the host's body and compromises healthy body cells. In efforts to contain the pandemic and its impacts on people, it is significant to consider the physical impacts as well as psychological effects across the world. In the body, the lungs are affected first, resulting in respiratory challenges and then the other body organs. In addition, the containment measures adopted, including lockdowns, wearing protecting masks, quarantine, and maintaining physical distance, have resulted in poor mental health, including loneliness, fear, mass hysteria, depressive financial losses, economic burdens, acute panic, loneliness, anxiety, and paranoia. The results indicate that the physical and psychological ramifications are equally devastating and must be addressed.

The virus is associated with numerous impacts, first manifested through symptoms like respiratory problems such as shortness of breath and difficulties in breathing (Radcliffe, 1). After contracting the virus, most patients experience prolonged cough, severe headache, fever, loss of smell and taste, chest pains, and tiredness. The world has experienced the loss of millions of lives. A study shows that prolonged use of PPE also results in skin damage and cutaneous manifestations (Shaukat, Ali and Razzak, 2). The covid-19 disease is linked with a significant decrease in physical activity, mobility, walking, and an increase in sedentary activity. Coronavirus can result in severe organ damage, including kidneys, the heart, the brain, and the skin. Patients also experience inflammation and immunity problems.

In addition to fatal impacts on physical health, the pandemic is associated with universal mental health impacts. Its severity and rate of spreading from one person to others have forced governments and organizations to enforce strict containment measures that aim at limiting its spread. Examples of these protocols are lockdown, quarantine after possible exposure, and maintaining a reasonable distance (Dai, Sang and Menhas, 2). In their research, Dubey, Biswas and Ghosh (779) found a plethora of psychiatric manifestations related to protocols for virus containment across multiple social strata. Examples of non-physical impacts include mass hysteria, financial losses due to the closure of businesses, economic burdens, acute panic, loneliness, anxiety, depression, paranoia, and PTSD. According to research, frontline healthcare employees are at higher risks of infection and experience the worst psychological-related outcomes due to fear of contracting the virus, burnout and being overwhelmed by patient flow, and depression (Shaukat, Ali and Razzak, 1). These factors disproportionately impact female nurses. In addition, community-based measures to stop the virus's spread have disrupted many's mental wellness. The spread of information across social media is also associated with psychological impacts.

The pandemic has had numerous impacts on the physical body and mental health. Specific populations are at higher risk of the impacts. For instance, the frontline care providers, people with low household incomes, and those advanced in age (Pedrosa, Bitencourt and Fróes, 12). Among marginalized populations worldwide, mental-related impacts include the stigma of discrimination, depression, health-related crime, financial insecurity, and stress (Dubey, Biswas and Ghosh, 785). The above challenges indicate a need to address both the psychosocial and physical harm of the outbreak.

In conclusion, while the most significant attention and healthcare efforts are directed towards physical health, an increase in mental health challenges calls for a balance in ensuring a healthy population. Some of the key impacts of the disease on the body include respiratory problems, cough, skin damage due to the use of PPE, severe headache, fever, loss of smell and taste, chest pains, and tiredness. In addition, the has been reduced physical activity due to a lack of exercise. The disease can also result in severe organ damage and death. The psychological impacts are related to emotional, behavioral, and psychiatric crises. They have a significant impact on those who are already sick and those who have not contracted the virus. Therefore, the overall wellness is equally compromised and requires collaborative efforts.

Works Cited

Dai, Jianhui, et al. "The Influence of COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Health–Psychological Health, Physical Activity, and Overall Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Emotional Regulation." Frontiers in Psychology 12.667461 (2021): 1-14. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.667461/full.

Dubey, Souvik, et al. "Psychosocial impact of COVID-19." Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome 14.5 (2020): 779–788. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7255207/.

Pedrosa, Ana Luisa, et al. "Emotional, Behavioral, and Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic." Frontiers in Psychology 11.566212 (2020): 1-18. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.566212/full.

Radcliffe, Shawn. Here's What Happens to the Body After Contracting the New Coronavirus. 30 4 2020. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/heres-what-happens-to-the-body-after-contracting-the-coronavirus. 5 10 2022.

Shaukat, Natasha, Daniyal Mansoor Ali and Junaid Razzak. "Physical and mental health impacts of COVID-19 on healthcare workers: a scoping review." International Journal of Emergency Medicine 13.40 (2020): 1-8. https://intjem.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12245-020-00299-5.