Abstract
This paper discusses the economic effect of COVID-19 on healthcare. It shows that COVID-19 had caused much damage in both the health and economic sectors. As of March 28, 2020, the disease had contributed to the loss of 10 million jobs, and this data was for just two weeks. The damage that had happened before the two weeks was not captured in this duration. During the second quarter, the United States economy will shrink by 10% to 25%. The economy's slow growth is already happening in the USA, with main economic activities being affected. Economy damage is occurring worldwide, with the health sector being the most hit. Financial markets that depend on other sectors, including health, are also losing huge profits daily. All these damages put together are expected to cause a loss of approximately $1 trillion in the world economy by the end of the year 2020. This recession's effect onthe economy is being felt in the transport industry, manufacturing industries, with many people losing jobs primarily due to measures to contain the pandemic. At the initial stage of Covid-19, many countries underestimated the danger ahead and thought everything would be fixed in a few days. The economy was to remain stable, but things are turning out very differently. Both lives and economies must be supported to avoid total damage. What is even more discouraging is reports showing that the disease is here to stay, and so the world should come up with measures to live with the condition until that day when a vaccine will be found.

The paper concludes that he United States government is responsible for how it prepares for handling such crises. The US government has to do more to handle these crises with a view that goes beyond the virus itself. There can be much more significant adverse health effects from lockdowns and the government has to consider this in the future.

Introduction

COVID-19 has affected healthcare economically."A pandemic's effect is viewed in terms of both mortality andits effect on people's livelihood. The world has spent billions of dollars fighting against the pandemic, and people have lost jobs as nations have gone into lockdown mode. Advocates of lockdowns—like Bill and Melinda Gates and Dr. Fauci—have come across as unaware of or indifferent to the health effects of lockdowns. Suicide rates have spiked; people have not been able to get proper access to care for other medical issues. Depression and other mental health concerns have risen dramatically. Starvation has occurred in the developing world because of supply chains breaking down. Yet all Dr. Fauci and the Gates family can do is look at the very small percentage of the population that might die from COVID. Doctors have been vocal about the insanity of politics meddling in science, yet governments continue to act as though they wanted to see the world shut down. Demand and supply chains have destabilized, and investors can no longer trust the market dynamics. Significant changes have happened in different sectors to prevent and streamline the pandemic’s response (Shrestha et al., 2020). The hard-hit countries such as the USA, Europe, and China contribute heavily to the world economy. Countries like China lead in manufacturing and their slowdown is felt globally. Going slow on production directly affects the supply chain, and trade depends on demand and supply to keep going (Lenzen et al., 2020). Some hospitals are also experiencing a financial crisis, and paying their health workers has become an issue. Health care workers are being laid off; businesses are closing. Such challenges may prompt health workers to withdraw their services at this critical time. The United States should have programs to support health sectors in the United States and globally and more so in developing countries (Blumenthal, Fowler, Abrams & Collins, 2020). Scripture provides a good reminder on how governments should embrace the Golden Rule at times like these and return to Christ: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Human governments are always going to have limitations in terms of what they can do. Yet God can do a great deal more—but unfortunately God is too often a last resort for people. This paper will describe the problems of the COVID hysteria and what the government could do better to adopt a Christian orientation to the problem to make it better instead of worse.

Background

The main problem with the COVID-19 response is that it has been so narrow and short-sighted. It has been a response made in panic and then made into policy by governmental bureaucrats. Health care should not be something that the government meddles in. Governor Andrew Cuomo won an Emmy for his role in managing the pandemic in New York. But this is not a TV show—this is real life and Cuomo has no business dictating to others so that hospitals, which are designed to reach 200% capacity if need be, do not hit the “danger zone” of 95% capacity in the ICU. Health care is a business and it does not pay to have empty ICUs, so running at 95% capacity is normal and healthy for a hospital. Cuomo is misleading the public about this fact and acting like the hospitals are in danger of being overwhelmed. That is simply not true. The entire reaction to COVID is one that has been politicized to no end, and the health effects of this politicization are monstrous. It impacts communities and the way they deal with stress. Many people, for instance, have turned to self-medicating to alleviate their stress and that is leading to a rise in substance abuse. The black market economy is springing back up as a result of this as well—and that can be seen in the new Silk Road.

Cutler (2020) explains that the economic and healthcare crisis the COVID-19 pandemic created will lead to a 10% to 25% contraction of the US economy. What this means is that the United States has essentially entered a COVID-19 recession. The pandemic’s economic effect is attributed to the federal government’s failure to provide adequate testing facilities in Cutler’s (2020) eyes—but testing for COVID has been criticized by doctors and clinicians because the testing itself has been politicized.

The Role of Clinicians

Clinicians do not clinically diagnose anyone with an illness unless that person has symptoms. Asymptomatic people should not be tested for anything. Even the designer of the PCR test used for testing for COVID has stated that it should not be used for these purposes. It is completely absurd that health...…hospitals has to be considered. The rising cases of coronavirus patients are overburdening hospitals, reducing all hospital operations to the most vital.

Outpatient clinics and elective operative work have been suspended by most hospitals to focus on more vital operations. This action will result in a major loss of revenue from the suspended services. In reducing the spread of the infection among patients and healthcare workers, hospitals have to procure personal protective equipment, which will constitute further financial drain. Hashmi et al. (2020) show that these economic challenges are affecting the functionality of hospitals and have to be addressed; but governments are busy bailing out the Fortune 500 and the banks—they are less interested in the health care industry except when it comes to how close to “capacity” the ICUs are.

Managing Disease without Lockdowns

Lenzen et al. (2020) show that the consequences of the pandemic have affected social and economic conditions, which have changed society. Consequences such as lockdowns global reductions in production and consumption have engendered a cascading effect along the global supply chains. Lenzen et al. (2020) emphasize the implementation of preparedness measures, which will cause the least social changes for the population and low economic disruption for businesses. In other words, the government has to know in advance how to respond and not to respond to a pandemic. Going into lockdown mode is not the correct way to do it.

Chudik, Mohaddes, Pesaran, Raissi & Rebucci (2020) note as much by highlighting the consequences of the pandemic and establishing ways of analyzing the pandemic. Considering the disruptions in the interconnected world economy, an empirical economic analysis will be suitable for examining the pandemic's nature. In completing the empirical economic analysis, the following key elements must be included: the identification of such an event, an account for the non-linear effects of the pandemic, a consideration of the pandemic's global cascading effect, and quantification of the uncertainties surrounding the forecast of such events.

Conclusion

The pandemic has hit hard agricultural and food sectorsof many countries. Disruption of the supply chain has affected these two sectors due to delays in custom and credit markets. The food industry also depends heavily on the transport industry. Therefore cessation of movement in countries had posed the world to another danger of experiencing food shortage in the future (Shrestha et al., 2020). COVID-19 will advance the health challenges that were already in existence, and the government should focus more on stopping damages that cannot be recovered. Prevention measures will help more to stop deaths that are affecting the population. UN Security Council advises nations to protect Vulnerable population whose survival rate is less when exposed to the virus. Some of the vulnerable groups include the elderly and people living with conditions such as diabetes. Nations have used police in enforcing containment measures. In some cases, police have violated human rights, and according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the rate at which this is happening is alarming (Lambert et al., 2020). Patience and faith in God are needed in times like these more than anything else. Psalms 107:19-21 should remind all: “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.”