While there have been many epidemics and pandemics throughout history, there has never been one that so rapidly and completely altered the dynamics of life on this planet as COVID-19. This LibGuide is an attempt to identify and highlight the monumental impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had and will continue having on the world.
The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic goes far beyond 2020, and it has impacted our world in ways that we may not even realize for years, or even decades down the road. The global social, economic, and health impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about have forever changed our world.
It catalyzed changes to every facet of our lives; from work and school, to social interactions, economics, and healthcare, to international relationships, scientific research, and the environment. Some of these changes will most likely drift back to their pre-pandemic state, but many will likely continue to diverge, further altering our world.
The long-term consequences of "Long COVID" (the wide range of new, returning, or worsening physical and/or mental health conditions or diseases that can affect individuals after they experience an acute COVID-19 infection) and the variety of new-onset diseases and conditions that are now being associated with COVID-19 infection, are only just now acknowledged as having the potential to cause a mass disabling of society in the years that follow.
| Section | Contents: Information, Resources and highlighted scientific literature |
|---|---|
| About COVID | Information and resources on COVID including data and resources on both the virus (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease (COVID-19) |
| "Long COVID" | Information,on "Long COVID" (wide range of issues and complications affecting a subset of individuals after an acute COVID-19 infection), including signs & symptoms, prevalence, risk factors, Long COVID conditions in children, and the risks of Long Covid after reinfection including cumulative lifetime risks |
| Secondary Infections | Information on secondary infections, antimicrobial resistance, Covid-related and susceptibility to infections, including bacterial, fungal, and viral infections |
| Long Term Health | Information by organ system on the wide variety of clinical manifestations of "Long COVID" as well as long-term health, including risk of new-onset disease |
| Immune Dysfunction | Information on post-Covid immune system damage and dysfunction, including susceptibility to autoimmune diseases and virus reactivation |
| Genetic/Epigenetic Changes | Information on the genetic and epigenetic changes associated with Covid infections, and their long term impacts, including how the virus can alter the human body and its cells |
| Societal Impacts | Information on how COVID-19 has impacted society, including governmental policies and response, human life expectancy, economic impacts, and how it has changed healthcare |
