To end the coronavirus pandemic, scientists have emphasized that collaborative effort is fundamental. Along with the restrictions imposed and mandated by governments and health agencies, people also need to contribute by following the coronavirus guidelines strictly in order to bring down the transmission levels of the infection.
Without the latter, the policies for reducing coronavirus spread are likely to not be as effective. In addition, it will also not avoid certain areas from turning into infection hotspots and multiple breakouts of the virus will continue to occur as well.
The negligence of advice from the medical community and inability to follow guidelines is one of the primary reasons why the transmission rates are still very high in many countries including the US.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the vast majority of the people in the US were noted to be following instructions such as wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and staying at home strictly.
According to existent medical research, these guidelines along with coronavirus lockdowns prevented millions of new infections not only in the US in other countries who followed similar steps to end the pandemic as well.
However, as time passed by, the restrictions eased and the lockdowns were lifted eventually, which led to a surge in infection cases once again.
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Initially, this was not a problem as medical experts had already expected the number of cases to rise once again but it was also assumed that the infection spread would be controlled after some time.
Instead of infection rates decreasing, they kept rising because many people assumed the end of the lockdown meant the virus is no longer a threat. So, it was primarily the lack of following instructions that led to multiple outbreaks once again across the country.
At the moment, the US has over six million cases of the infection with a very high mortality rate but many people are still not taking preventive measures seriously.
Experts have even noted the rise of ‘coronavirus fatigue’ among the population, specifically in younger adults, which has played a major role in coronavirus spread. Coronavirus fatigue is a term given to the inability to follow coronavirus guidelines simply because of being tired.
Another factor that is contributing to the high number of cases is the differences in response to the pandemic between men and women.
According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, women are better at following guidelines and putting in the effort to protect not only themselves but their families and community.
On the other hand, men were less likely to follow even the most basic instructions which included wearing masks. This may also explain why there is a higher number of coronavirus deaths in men than in women.
Why does this happen? The researchers state that there are a number of reasons why men may not take the pandemic seriously including the societal notion of appearing ‘tough’ and association of masks with weakness.
In addition, since women have been historically responsible for taking care of the health of the family, they are also more likely to follow preventive measures. To women, it is not just about their own health but of others around them.
To resolve the issue with men, it is important that they are addressed the same way women are and are informed on how their actions may impact their families and friends.
