COVID-19: through the eyes through the front line, an international perspective

Abstract

COVID-19 is continuing to ravage the globe. In many Western Countries, the populous has not embraced public health advice which has resulted in a resurgence of the COVID-19 virus. In the United States, there is an absence of a coordinated Federal response. Instead, frontline workers and average citizens are having to cope with extensive mixed messaging regarding mask usage and social distancing from the highest levels of government. This has resulted in the United States not being able to achieve a low level of infection since the pandemic began. In addition, many citizens hold a profound belief that individual freedoms must be preserved, even at the expense of public health; and view the wearing of masks as renouncing this right. These engrained political beliefs can be traced back to the late 1800s. The response of the United States has also been hampered by a highly cost-efficient healthcare system, which does not provide universal care and has a just-in-time supply chain, with far too few supplies in reserve. This efficiency prevented a rapid scaling up of the healthcare response, which resulted in severe deficiencies in available personal protective equipment (PPE) and healthcare staff. To compound issues many healthcare staff are not provided an economic or healthcare safety net. Other frontline workers, such as those who work in transportation and food services, are working under even greater adversities. Many of these workers are from diverse backgrounds, who, along with their families, are at even greater risk for COVID-19. This vulnerable population of frontline workers are faced with a choice of going to work with inadequate PPE or placing food on their families’ table. In the United States, official recommendations seem to be ever changing, based more upon supply and test availability, than on science. We must rely on science and learn from the lessons of past pandemics or we will relive, even to a greater degree, the deaths and devastations experienced by our ancestors over 100 years ago.

Invincibility threatens vaccination intentions during a pandemic

“…However, in less collectivistic cultures, which value personal freedoms and autonomy, perceived invincibility may threaten community efforts to suppress a pandemic. Prior commentary has alluded to this relationship, noting that perceived invincibility in developed countries, such as the U.S., is a potential threat to achieving the collective preventative behavior necessary to suppress COVID-19 [ 5 , 29 ]. The present research provides initial empirical evidence of this relationship at global scale.…”

“…In addition to threatening personal health, we ask whether perceived invincibility might also threaten the wellbeing of others, especially during a pandemic? The suboptimal response to COVID-19 by some developed countries has been attributed to feelings of invincibility, as Kavanagh, Pare and Pontus [ 29 ] note, “The belief in invincibility and that a pandemic could never reach the United States (U.S.) led to a depletion of personal protective equipment (PPE), including N-95 masks in the U.S. stockpile.” [29 p2]. Moreover, U.S. President Donald Trump seemingly promoted feelings of invincibility through his messaging on Twitter, e.g., “Don’t be afraid of COVID.…”

Healthcare Safety Nets during the COVID-19 Pandemic Based on Double Diamond Model: A Concept Analysis

“…Most countries are struggling with COVID-19 because they have not listened to public health advice after epidemics, like the last outbreak of SARS [53]. Additionally, differences in socioeconomic status and health inequality have become clearer, while the concept of an appropriate healthcare safety net is not clear [53].…”

“…Most countries are struggling with COVID-19 because they have not listened to public health advice after epidemics, like the last outbreak of SARS [53]. Additionally, differences in socioeconomic status and health inequality have become clearer, while the concept of an appropriate healthcare safety net is not clear [53]. Public hospitals, which played a major role in Korea's COVID-19 situation, ensured healthcare access for patients, and public hospitals designated as COVID-19 exclusive hospitals to secure negative pressure isolation beds for intensively treated infectious patients [54].…”

Answering the call: Academic nurse educators returning to practice on the eve of COVID-19

“…At this time the reality of COVID-19 in the healthcare setting had only been portrayed through international media reports (BBC, 2020; Regencia et al, 2020). Documented deaths included not only those of patients, but also that of frontline healthcare staff worldwide (Kavanagh et al, 2020;Keles et al, 2021).…”