In the Grip of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Navigating the beginning of a new week in our current era poses its challenges. Each week feels like a return to the familiar scary landscape of pandemic living. Questions arise: Have I been careful in staying home? Am I consistently washing my hands for the recommended duration? Have I maintained proper social distancing practices? These inquiries reflect just a fraction of the profound disruption COVID-19 has wrought upon our lives. How did we find ourselves in this situation? Remarkably, the COVID-19 pandemic marks the second occurrence of such a global health crisis in the 21st century. On two separate occasions, coronaviruses breached the species barrier, precipitating outbreaks of deadly pneumonia in humans. The initial event, SARS-CoV , emerged in China's Guangdong province in 2002, casting its shadow over 26 nations. From November 2002 to July 2003, the virus afflicted 8,098 individuals worldwide, manifesting as severe acute respiratory syndrome characterized ...