Pandemic - The Conclusion...

You must have wondered about following questions sometime during the lockdown. If not, no worries.

How does a Pandemic end? What does it mean to say Pandemic has ended?

Well, most of MBAs know the answer - 'IT DEPENDS'.

What does it depend on?

It depends on how do we want to end it. We may end a pandemic Medically or Socially. 

What does it mean to say Pandemic has ended medically?

It plainly means the infection & death rates nosedive and are very rare. A pandemic can be medically ended in three ways. 1) Vaccinating the population so that they develop immunity against the disease. This is the most desirable way to end the pandemic. The best example of a pandemic that ended medically is Smallpox. 2) Expose people to disease. Only the fit will survive, weak will not be so fortunate. People who weathered the storm will be immune to the disease. Once most of the population develops immunity, the disease will be contained. The strategy has been tried by the UK for current Pandemic Covid-19. 3) Delay the spread of disease. This gives time to develop vaccines. Also, it allows medical infrastructure to be equipped to handle the victims at peak. This includes lock-downs which delay the spread of disease and possibly contain it in a certain locality. This strategy has been practised by most of the countries hit by Covid-19.

Governments around the world are trying to implement one of the above strategies or combination of few to medially end the current pandemic 'Covid-19'.

What does it mean to Socially end the Pandemic?

Termination of the fear about the disease amongst the population. People get accustomed to the new normal and accept to live with the disease. This might be the product of frustration due to prolonged restrictions on the people. Individuals start preferring going out with certain precautions rather than staying back at home. This can be seen from the lens of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. Employment is a part of "Safety needs" along with health, personal security and resources. As employment scenario starts looking gloomy people are motivated to fulfil the need of employment as other three are substantially dependent on it. Governments around the world play a vital role in the alleviation of frustration by diminishing the restrictions in a phased manner. Governments are bound to take such steps to rebuild the economy. This slowly wanes the fear of the disease and pandemic is assumed to reach its social end rather than literally ending it.

How will the current pandemic end?

As we stand currently in our fight against COVID -19, it seems the pandemic will end Socially rather than Medically in the near future. The reasoning behind it can be the frustration amongst the population regarding the prolonged lockdown restrictions, a slump in the economic activities, rising layoffs, uncertainty of better future in near time and clearly visible protracted fight against the virus in future. COVID - 19 might or might not end medically around the globe but it surely will see the social end.