1. Adaptations of the pathogen to facilitate transmission and entry into the host.
1.1. Every time COVID-19 infects someone it has adapted to pick up tiny changes in its genetic code as it makes copies of itself. Like all coronaviruses, it uses a type of genetic material called RNA, which is prone to developing errors, or mutations, as the virus replicates inside a person’s cells.
1.2. After COVID-19 reached Europe, it mutated at a pivotal point in its RNA genome, changing the molecule at a single location on the spike protein. This mutation helped the virus to infect our cells and made it more transmissible between people by forming a stud on the outside.
2. Prevention Measures
2.1. Encouraging vaccination of the population to develop herd immunity. Food preparation from infected individuals can also be limited and infected individuals sharing food can be prevented.
3. Treatment and methods of controlling the spread on a range of scales
3.1. Treatment
3.1.1. Vaccination
3.1.1.1. The 3 types of approved vaccines for COVID-19 are messenger RNA (mRNA) – Pfizer and Moderna, vector – AstraZeneca and protein - Novavax.
3.1.2. Medical treatment
3.1.2.1. examethasone is a corticosteroid that can help reduce the length of time on a ventilator and save lives of patients with severe and critical illness.
3.2. Methods of controlling the spread
3.2.1. Local scale
3.2.1.1. community awareness campaigns to highlight the dangers of the virus. Educating the local public about the cause and transmission of disease.
3.2.1.2. Self-care treatment methods such as maintaining personal hygiene
3.2.2. Regional scale
3.2.2.1. Closing borders when necessary and limiting travel between states to avoid contact with COVID-19.
3.2.3. Global scale
3.2.3.1. Create a global system for disease monitoring and outbreak prevention that includes rapid testing, information sharing, and real-time analysis to track surges and variants.
4. The impact COVID-19 has on the body.
4.1. The viral proteins bust into cells through ACE2 receptors. Once inside, the coronavirus hijacks healthy cells and takes command. Eventually, it kills some of the healthy cells. There is some evidence, though, that the Omicron variant doesn’t attack lung tissue as much as other variants did.
4.1.1. Symoptoms include:
4.1.1.1. Fever A cough Shortness of breath or trouble breathing Fatigue Chills, sometimes with shaking Body aches
5. The body’s response to infection
5.1. Innate immune response
5.1.1. Kicks in first to attack and clear out the virus
5.2. Adaptive immune response
5.2.1. Remove any remaining virus and create a memory for future infections.
6. Transmission
6.1. Environmental conditions which facilitate the spread
6.1.1. Poorly ventilated/crowded indoor settings
6.1.1.1. When people tend to spend longer periods of time in poorly ventilated areas, aerosols can remain suspended in the air or travel farther than conversational distance (this is often called long-range aerosol or long-range airborne transmission).
6.1.2. Transmission through surfaces
6.1.2.1. On porous surfaces, studies report inability to detect viable COVID-19 within minutes to hours; on non-porous surfaces, viable viruses can be detected for days to weeks.
6.1.3. Direct Transmission
6.1.3.1. The virus can spread from an infected person’s mouth or nose in small liquid particles when they cough, sneeze, speak, sing or breathe.
6.1.4. Temperature/humidity
6.1.4.1. Regions that have low temperatures are more prone to infection than those with higher temperatures.
6.2. Economic conditions which facilitate the spread
6.2.1. Low socio-economic regions
6.2.1.1. The forced lockdown in low socio-economic countries such as Pakistan led to increased poverty and unemployment.
6.3. Social conditions which facilitate the spread
6.3.1. Transmission due to cultural reasons
6.3.1.1. Certain countries that have cultural celebrations that facilitate the spread of COVID-19, for example, Holi is one of the most anticipated celebrations in the Hindu calendar and it is seen as culturally disrespectful to not celebrate.
6.3.2. Underdeveloped healthcare system
6.3.2.1. The reliability of data is lower in poorer countries, this was an issue for Pakistan.
6.3.3. Individual views
6.3.3.1. The impact of COVID-19 on a population is driven by social behaviours which are shaped by patterns of culturally shared beliefs in that population.
7. Prevalence and Societal Impact
7.1. Prevalence - There were around 900 deaths from COVID-19 in Australia in 2020. 89% of deaths were in Victoria and 7% in NSW. The majority of deaths were in the older age groups: 24% in the 85–89 year age group and 34% in those aged 90 and over.
7.2. Societal Impact - School closures, devastated industries and millions of jobs lost – the social and economic costs of the pandemic are hefty. Covid-19 is threatening to widen inequalities everywhere, undermining progress on global poverty and clean energy.
8. Implications
8.1. Environmental implications
8.1.1. Short-term reductions in environmental pressures: energy-related emissions declined by 7%, agriculture-related environmental pressures by less (around 2%) (OECD, 2021). The reduction in the use of non-metallic minerals, including construction materials, reached double digits.
8.2. Social implications
8.2.1. Negative changes in rates of domestic and family violence, mental health, child protection, and justice system. There was also a global loss of social connectiveness and new methods had to be put in place to adapt to the virus, e.g masks and social distancing.
8.3. Economic implications
8.3.1. Millions of workers have been put on government-supported job retention schemes as parts of the economy, such as tourism and hospitality, have come to a near standstill. The travel industry has been badly damaged, with airlines cutting flights and customers cancelling business trips and holidays.