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Introduction
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has significantly affected the lives of people in every state in the world. The illness is caused by a new virus that can move from one person to another by airborne droplets (#1). It is also difficult to monitor how many people are infected since this disease might be asymptomatic (#1). Even though all the population without any exception has a risk of becoming contaminated by COVID-19, the illness of older adults and ones with poor health tends to be more severe in comparison with the younger generation (#1). The current paper discusses the origins and outcomes of coronavirus. The essay also provides an overview of how the local and federal government deals with the pandemic situation.
It is widely known that the first virus outbreak occurred in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019. However, there are different opinions on the causations of COVID-19 itself. The primary supposition is that the virus moved to humans from bats through unsanitary markets (#2). Nevertheless, scientists suppose that a casualty at Wuhans research laboratory could lead to the spread of this virus (#2). It is interesting to notice that the US administration and China mutually blame one another for the appearance of coronavirus. Thus, a Chinese foreign ministry representative tweeted that It might be [the] US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan during the latest World Military Games (#2). In addition to the possible causations mentioned above, microbiologist and biosafety expert Richard Ebright supposes that the infection could happen naturally through other animals which contact both with people and bats (#2). At the same time, the expert guesses that the first infected person could be a worker of Wuhans laboratory because of inadequate measures of protection (#2). Therefore, it could be inferred that there is no clear explanation of how this virus appeared and spread to humans.
Currently, it is not that important how and why the infection emerged while it is better to focus on the ways to deal with it. The virus spreads from person to person during conversations at a short distance, touching eyes, nose, or mouth after contacting the infected surfaces (#1). Even though it is commonly believed that the middle-aged generation is under a more significant threat, this isnt just a disease of the elderly exceptionally (#7). For instance, in the American South, a large number of younger people got infected with severe consequences (#6). The spread of COVID-19 among people in their mid-20s to late 30s is caused by the fact that they do not follow the measures of protection such as social distancing and self-isolation (#7). Not all millennials are ready to work from home or even quit their job since they must support their family.
Main body
The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the vaccine against COVID-19 still was not created. Scientists claim that this process of the invention of proper medicine could take more than one year (#3). According to the World Health Organization, on March 20, 2020, there are more than forty candidates to become a vaccine (#3). However, it takes time to test them and then distribute the best one. Until the remedy is not developed, people have to suffer from disastrous effects (#4). The pandemic situations aftermath includes not only multiple deaths but also an economic crisis and a high rate of unemployment. The head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Fauci supposes that it is almost impossible to return to normal life as it was before the coronacrisis (#8). The invention of a vaccine could facilitate the recovery process (#8). Still, the remedy is in the process of development and, consequently, the adverse situation will last for a long time.
US President Donald Trump was warned about the potential danger of the coronavirus by his advisers at the beginning of this year; however, no immediate actions were taken (#4). From the newspapers and magazines, it seems that Trump is trying only to accuse China using anecdotal reports (#5). Besides, Dr. Fauci claims that Trump cannot blame the PRC for the deliberate spread of the virus, since there are no official documents to prove this allegation (#5). The absence of strict and urgent measures led to the quick spread of COVID-19 across the country. Particularly rapid virus distribution is noticed in the American South (#6). According to the data, retrieved on March 23, 2020, in the US, one out of every ten deaths of the infected people happened in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia (#6). Therefore, the government of southern states has to take drastic measures to protect the life of the citizens.
All over the world, the measures taken by the governments to protect the population are approximately the same. These actions include the implementation of social distancing, restrictions on travel, the closure of enterprises that are not of the first necessity, and online learning for schoolchildren and students. Still, the protective measures could vary from one state to another. There is an opinion that the restrictions imposed by the government are do not bring many results since the disease continues to spread (#4). What is more, there is even a risk that the coronavirus will turn into a full-blown pandemic (#4). This means that millions of lives of Americans will be taken, and the whole situation could become even worse than it is now. In addition, the medical community suffers from the lack of working force, access to medicines and equipment, and the governors do not know how to provide the hospitals with all that is required (11).
Texas state governments care of its citizens is illustrated by the measures it takes to minimize the potential danger of getting infected. For instance, in Texas as well as in Rhode, and Florida, the vehicle checkpoints were established on the border with Louisiana (#14). All the people entering the state are checked on the coronavirus symptoms and forbidden to enter Texas without a valid reason (#15). At the same time, it should be noted that the two regions border at the least-affected part of the state (#15). Consequently, this measure might not be that effective.
Simultaneously, the Texas state government understands that the protective measures are harmful to the whole economy and especially to the small and medium businesses. Governor Abbott has recently expressed his concern with economic recovery (#17). He plans to remove restrictions on the work of companies without causing harm to people (#17). This is necessary since the virus affects the life and well-being not only of infected people but also of healthy ones as well.
COVID-19 raised some significant social issues that include the weakness of rural health care and the increasing gap in health care systems depending on race. The problem with the rural areas stems from the fact that they are mainly inhabited by older people who are more vulnerable to the virus than younger ones (#9). Besides, in suburban communities, people are poorer and less connected to emergency health services (#9). Apart from that, according to statistics, the percentage of infected African Americans is higher than that of the representatives of other races (#10). It could be suggested that the government should take into consideration these issues while developing a strategy for the fight against the virus.
Coronavirus outbreak revealed the issues with the application of the concept of federalism. This notion implies that the federal government works together with one of the states in case of any danger to the US (#11). COVID-19 is a threat to American security and prosperity; however, the actions of the central and states governments are uncoordinated. At the same time, the states are authorized to perform their policies in case if the federal government is not responsible for them. However, Washington, DCs powers in terms of response to the pandemic are limited (#18). Still, the security of people cannot depend on their place of living (#13). If the policies of one state are more effective than of another one, people lose their equality as some become better protected than others. The second problem is that the President hopes to remove restrictions on the work of companies, while he cannot oblige the states to return to the conventional way of functioning (#12). Here comes the dilemma of whether states should cooperate or act independently.
Conclusion
To conclude, it should be mentioned that the current situation is unprecedented to the world community. It also indicates the weaknesses of the healthcare system and the government. The crisis could hardly be solved without the invention of a vaccine that could help to protect people and relax the restriction measures. The dilemma between the authorities of the federal and the states government poses a threat to the whole population of the US. While the issue remains unsolved, the states government must do its best to preserve the safety of the citizens.
Works Cited
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(Source #2) Ignatius, David. How did covid-19 begin? Its initial origin story is shaky. The Washington Post, 2020. Web.
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(Source #5) Pengelly, Martin. Dr. Anthony Fauci counters Trump claims amid crisis: I just want to get the facts out. The Guardian, 2020.
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(Source #10) Covid-19 exposes Americas racial health gapAfrican Americans appear more vulnerable to the virus, The Economist, 2020.
(Source #11) Cooke, Nancy, and Diamond, Dan. A Darwinian approach to federalism: States confront new reality under TrumpState governors getting more power from Trump while fearing they lack the federal tools to fight the coronavirus crisis. Politico, 2020. Web.
(Source #12) Olson, Walter. Federalism and the Coronavirus Lockdown: Trump cant order the country back to normalcy by April 30 or any day. Thats for states to decide. Wall Street Journal, 2020. Web.
(Source #13) Kettl, Donald F. The Federalism Divide Is Shading Governments response to COVID-19: We cant afford a government where the odds of an effective attack on the novel coronavirus depend on where citizens live, Government Executive, 2020. Web.
(Source #14) Povich, Elaine S. Border Checkpoints Discourage Travelers Between States. PEW Stateline, 2020.
(Source #15) On Texas-Louisiana border, vehicle checkpoints put the brakes on coronavirus, FRANCE24, 2020.
(Source #16) Lazo, Luz, and Shaver, Kathryn. Covid-19 checkpoints targeting out-of-state residents draw complaints and legal scrutiny. Washington Post, 2020.
(Source #17) Cobler, Nicole. Coronavirus in Texas: Abbott ready to work toward economic revitalization, Austin American-Statesman, 2010.
(Source #18) Woo, John. Pandemic Federalism, National Review, 2020.
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