HLSC 500 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY Analysis of Major Event 2020 Pandemic COVID-19 _ESSAY_ASSIGNMENT 2023.pdf

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Analysis of Major Event 2020 Pandemic: COVID-19

Natanael Roman

Helms School of Government, Liberty University

HLSC500: Foundation of Homeland Security

Dr. Robert Taylor

2 April 2023

By submitting this assignment, I attest this submission represents my own work and not that of

another student, scholar, or internet source. I understand I am responsible for knowing and

correctly utilizing referencing and bibliographical guidelines.

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(2020), dealing with them requires collaboration from various stakeholders. Mostly, emergency

management involves mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery to eliminate the

probability of the disaster or to return to normal situations. Emergency management is necessary

for the 21st century, where emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are rapidly increasing

(Asadzadeh et al., 2020).” Recently, COVID-19 has become a major international health disaster.

The 2020 pandemic is a global health crisis that was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan,

China, and later spread to other parts of the world at an unprecedented rate. By March 11, 2020,

the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic (World Health Organization, 2020). The

pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

primarily spreads through respiratory droplets, and symptoms range from mild to severe, with

management initiatives in the United States, including mitigation, preparedness, response, and

recovery.

As the pandemic worsened globally, it was evident that the world was dealing with an

unprecedented event. Facilities throughout the United States were grappling with staff shortages

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and other relevant stakeholders responded with clear strategies reflecting the four emergency

management phases. As it was nationwide, this was a precedent never seen before that caused

major alarm in the whole medical community.

Mitigation

Mitigation or prevention refers to actions initiated to reduce the risk of an emergency or a

disaster. According to Goodman (2021), mitigation requires great foresight and an understanding

and developing vaccines and treatments. More specifically, the mitigation and prevention phase

included the following:

Risk Assessment

of the pandemic on the population. According to Maher et al. (2020), during the first few months

after the virus spread to the United States, it had already started causing a significant health

burden in urban areas. However, the severity of the disease was unclear, and only some

predisposing factors and conditions were disproportionately linked to hospitalization and death.

Thus, the government-initiated risk assessments to determine the potential impact on

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the virus. The step was necessary to develop mitigation strategies to counter the pandemic and

reduce its impact on the country.

Prevention

Capacity Building

unprecedented event. Facilities throughout the United States were grappling with staffing

shortages and emergency response infrastructure. Gradually, it became clear that the nation was

ill-equipped to deal with the effects of the virus. The capacity building included expanding

hospital capacity and developing protocols for treating COVID-19 patients. The pandemic also

caused a significant staff shortage, especially in the nursing workforce (Assistant Secretary for

Planning and Evaluation, 2022). The United States was forced to tap into foreign nurses to help

hospitals deal with the impact of the pandemic, demonstrating their inability to deal with a

pandemic of such magnitude.

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effective response. According to Goodman (2021), this phase has more to do with knowing the

necessary steps to protect people during a disaster. During the 2020 pandemic, the U.S.

government, through various federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration,

initiated several emergency response plans, including stockpiling medical devices to prevent

virus.

Resource Management

equipment and ventilators, and other essential products, such as gloves and alcohol-based hand

rub, to ensure healthcare providers had the necessary resources to manage COVID-19. According

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critical in enhancing care delivery and promoting the fast recovery of affected individuals.

Training

handle COVID-19 patients. The government and relevant stakeholders trained healthcare

to protect the health and safety of the public. According to Goodman, these are the actual steps

and interventions taken following a disaster. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government

responded with various efforts, including diagnosing and treating patients, enforcing public

health measures, such as social distancing, and contact tracing. Specifically, the government

responded with the following efforts.

Coordination

allocation of resources efficiently and effectively. By the president’s authority, the White House

issued an Executive Order requiring a unified and effective response to combat the pandemic and

prepare for future biological and pandemic threats (The White House, 2021). The coordination

ensured that swift action was initiated to curb the spread of the virus.

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the pandemic. They also provided regular updates on the status of the pandemic, informed key

public officials, and media representatives about the message to convey to the public and advised

on the best measures to ensure the public remained safe (Kim & Kreps, 2020). The government

Although COVID-19 is not completely eradicated, it was necessary to initiate recovery efforts.

Some of these initiatives included restoring the economy, addressing mental health needs, and

improving public health systems.

Economic Recovery

closing down and sparked the rate of unemployment. The U.S. government was forced to

implement measures to stimulate the economy and support businesses and individuals affected

by the pandemic. According to FEMA (2021), the recovery from COVID-19 was the most

extensive relief assistance program in history and was designed to take part at all levels.

Health System Recovery

exposing the weakness in the health systems. The United States has been working to improve

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(FEMA, 2021). The focus on health systems recovery is designed to prevent a repeat of the same

in case the pandemic resurges.

skills to deal with novel viruses. Additionally, the government should improve the public health

system and increase funding for public health programs to reduce the impact of future

pandemics. Lastly, in case of another outbreak, the government should work towards curbing the

spread of false information by improving its communication system.

Conclusion

maintain our faith. My sister, the first nurse to perish from COVID-19 in Puerto Rico, and my

father, a pastor and chaplain of more than thirty-five years, were two of my closest family

members to pass away from the disease. Despite the impact of this tragic event on the core of our

family, it was an opportunity for me to reflect on my family's public service, and a call to action

as a Christian, father, and servicemember to do better and honor their legacy. In the Holy Bible, 1

Timothy 6:12 says, "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you

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Believing in God is an act of faith and love for the hope that one day all adversity, difficulty, and

disease will be overcome. The reward is eternal life, and it is up to us to fight the good fight to

proves that we are deserving of it and to demonstrate through our testimony that God is not dead.

Being tested is part of the process by which God tests our spiritual fortitude, teaches us a lesson