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COVID-19’s Worldwide Impact and a History of Epidemics

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Covid-19: Health Disparities and Ethical Challenges Across the Globe

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Abstract

While some controversy persists, COVID-19’s origins appear to be in a “wet market” in Hunan China. However, there are a minority of scientists who believe that COVID-19 originated in a Chinese laboratory. COVID-19 along with SARS and HIV is a zoonotic illness in which a virus “jumps” from an animal to humans. The mortality rate for those contracting the virus have varied—currently the rate is a bit below 1%. One of the challenges of COVID-19 is that the condition can be transmitted by asymptomatic carriers. The prevalence of the condition has led to a decline in life expectancy in many Western countries with a greater impact on mortality among minority groups, migrants, and those who are economically challenged. Historically, well-documented infectious disease epidemics date back at least to the Middle Ages with the Bubonic plague. A frequent historical point of comparison is the Great Influenza outbreak of 1918.

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  1. Professor of Psychology, School of Kinesiology and Behavioral Science, Lake Superior State University, Sault Sainte Marie, MI, USA

    H. Russell Searight

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  1. School of Kinesiology and Behavioral Science, Lake Superior State University, Sault Sainte Marie, MI, USA

    H. Russell Searight

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Searight, H.R. (2023). COVID-19’s Worldwide Impact and a History of Epidemics. In: Searight, H.R. (eds) Covid-19: Health Disparities and Ethical Challenges Across the Globe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26200-5_1

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