Problem
The novel coronavirus COVID-19 quickly spread through the world and became the number one global threat, endangering millions of lives. As of October 2020, the number of confirmed cases worldwide is over 34 million and the number of deaths is over 1 million [1]. The virus is putting a major strain on global healthcare systems and economies [2]. Since this is a never before seen global crisis, there are many factors affecting how each country suffers that we don’t know about. This makes both local and global trends and the future unpredictable.

Facts and Figures

• Since the virus’s beginning in China, Anti-Asian racism and hate crimes have increased [3].

• Since the beginning of the lockdown, Mexico has seen one of the highest homicide rates since recording [4]. 

• During the lockdown, domestic abuse cases and complaints have rapidly increased worldwide [5,6]. 

• The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has severely affected the tourism industry [7]. 

• Numbers of workers in the industries that have been most drastically affected by the Covid-19 pandemic [8]: 

• Food and Accommodation: 144 million

• Retail and Wholesale: 482 million

• Business Services and Administration: 157 million 

• Manufacturing: 463 million

• Around 136 million healthcare workers and social professionals are working on the ‘front lines’ [8]. 

• The agricultural industry, the industry most common in low-income countries, is going to be the most affected one. [8]. 

• The current outbreak of COVID-19 is estimated to cost $1 trillion to the world's economy during the year 2020. According to experts, this impact is even worse than the Great Financial Crisis that the world faced in 2007–2008 [12].

Solution
The COVID-19 pandemic might be a health crisis at first, but it affects all aspects of life like education, agriculture, tourism and many more [9-11]. This makes a single solution impossible. A great number of charitable organisations are tackling the pandemic from different angles. Solutions include straight forward ones like vaccine development and delivery strategy. Others focus on prevention methods like educating people on how to reduce the spread of the virus. Further, some focus on long-term solutions and the incoming effects of the pandemic like unemployment and halt on education.

Sources

1. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control - COVID-19 situation update worldwide, as of 5 October 2020 (link)
2. Economic and social consequences of human mobility restrictions under COVID-19 (research paper)
3. Human Rights Watch - Covid-19 Fueling Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia Worldwide (link)
4. Even with coronavirus restrictions, deadly violence continues to rise in Mexico (article) 
5. A New Covid-19 Crisis: Domestic Abuse Rises Worldwide (article)
6. 6 months of coronavirus lockdown could mean 31 million more cases of domestic violence, UN says (article)
7. OECD - Tourism Policy Responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) (link)
8. United Nations - COVID-19: impact could cause equivalent of 195 million job losses, says ILO chief (link)
9. The Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 and Physical Distancing (research paper)
10. The pandemic paradox: The consequences of COVID‐19 on domestic violence (research paper) 
11. The Short-Term Economic Consequences of Covid-19: Exposure to Disease, Remote Work and Government Response (research paper) 
12. COVID-19 pandemic and economic cost: impact on forcibly displaced people (research paper)