Free Paper - Navigating COVID-19: Challenges, Hope, and the Quest for a Vaccine

Introduction

Background information

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a virus disease that has recently been discovered due to the many infections caused by humans (Choudhury & Bhattacharya, 2020). This disease is easily transmitted through contact with an infected person or surface. The severity of the illness has caused threats to human lives that die after contracting severe acute respiratory syndrome.

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Problem statement

Cases of coronavirus infections are increasing rapidly resulting in more than a million deaths. There is no specified treatment for this disease except for vaccine development that is currently underway (Shatzmiller et al.., 2020). This alarming rate raises questions among researchers and scientists as to whether this pandemic will come to an end.

Research questions

1. How long will this pandemic last for?
2. How long will COVID-19 be for?
3. When will everything go back to normality along with a change in how we interact with one another?
4. When will there be a vaccine?

Relevance of the study

This report aims to investigate the period during which the pandemic will last and whether or not the vaccine will be available. This research will contribute to the already available body of knowledge that will significantly help institutions and the authorities in planning programs for tackling COVID-19.

Literature review

The majority of people are hopeful that the pandemic will soon be manageable as the hope of a vaccine to protect against the disease has been developed. The vaccine is made up of a section of the virus's genetic code that the immune system fights back as a foreign object. According to reports from Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, the UK chief medical officer, the vaccine is ready for deployment by January next year. Updates to BBC News, the new Pfizer vaccine requires strict measures of transportation and storage (Shatzmiller et al.., 2020). The mode of transport should be in special boxes, with temperatures ranging around -70 degrees Celsius, packed in dry ice, and allocated GPS trackers.

There is no specific period within which the pandemic can last since no vaccine is 100%. The vaccine is 75% effective suggesting the virus will still circulate affecting the groups at risk. Key debates and controversies revolve around the lack of guaranteed success of the vaccine (Odone et al.., 2020). There have been other vaccines that were developed before for other diseases such as tuberculosis and have not completely mitigated the disease infection and transmission. History also informs that older people may not respond well to the vaccine due to their low body immunity. The existing knowledge gap lies in the fact that the vaccine has not been tested in humans yet and researchers and doctors can only rely on clinical trials for expected results. Research design The study method will utilize quantitative research procedures and a cross-sectional research design. The data will be collected from previous research work, journals, news reports, and blogs that comprise published updated information.

Methods

Analysis of the data collected will be done using descriptive analysis in the form of a percentage, mean, and frequency (Odone et al.., 2020). The tools to be used for data analysis will be SPSS and Microsoft Excel. Finally, the results will be presented in the form of charts, tables, and cross-tabulation.

Practical considerations

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, a social distance of 2 meters is encouraged to avoid getting close to an infected person. Bearing in mind that some people may be suffering from this disease with no symptoms showing at all, it is advisable to wear a mask to cover the mouth and nose, avoid close contact in events and gatherings, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and seek medical care when symptoms of fever, dry cough and difficulties in breathing are experienced.

Implications and contributions to knowledgePrevention is better than cure. Therefore, management of the infection requires individuals to take precautions by wearing face masks in public, isolating suspected individuals, washing hands as frequently as possible, and avoiding hugging, greeting, and other forms of contact with family, friends, or strangers (Odone et al.., 2020). The pandemic has highlighted the significance of research in response and disaster preparedness. To restore social welfare and the economy, scientific knowledge regarding the coronavirus is important. Data collected and transformed into results will help in the formation of mitigation measures for the global crisis as the vaccine saves lives at risk. The National immunization plans can only be conducted when the healthcare workers are knowledgeable of the disease.

References

Choudhury, T. K., & Bhattacharya, S. K. (2020). Covid-19: Treatment and vaccine development. Research in Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, 2(1), 34-37.

Odone, A., Bucci, D., Croci, R., Riccò, M., Affanni, P., & Signorelli, C. (2020). Vaccine hesitancy in COVID-19 times. An update from Italy before flu season starts. Acta bio-medica: Ateneo Parmensis, 91(3), e2020031.

Shatzmiller, S., Lapidot, I., Zats, G., Krieger, R., & Buzhansky, L (2020). Modern vaccines-mRNA based technology-The great hope to eradicate and cure COVID 19. virus, 3, 5.