Core library guide to COVID-19

A look at how workers deemed 'essential' helped society during the COVID-19 crisis.

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, political leaders and health officials worked to understand the disease, slow the infection rate, and lower the death toll. World Leaders during COVID-19 examines how different leaders reacted, how the messages to their citizens were received, and how effective their measures proved to be.

COVID-19 was first recognized in Wuhan, China, but within a few months it spread to every corner of the globe. The Spread of COVID-19 traces the pandemic during those perilous early months, as health officials and world leaders reacted to the new disease and the scope of its impact became clear.

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, the phrase "flatten the curve" became widely known. It refers to the things people can do to space the total number of infections out over a longer period of time. This helps prevent the health-care system from being overloaded. Flattening the Curve examines social distancing and the other measures that people took to slow the spread of the disease.

Many of the world's largest economies shut down almost overnight as nations tried to slow the spread of COVID-19. These measures saved lives, but they also cost millions of jobs and shuttered many companies-some temporarily, others forever. The Economic Impact of COVID-19 studies how the pandemic and the fight against it affected every part of the economy, from individuals to huge corporations.

"COVID-19 is a disease caused by a virus called SARS-CoV2. Like all viruses, it is far too small to be seen by the naked eye. Yet this virus and the disease it caused had an enormous impact on the world. Understanding COVID-19 explores how the virus and the disease work, examining what made them so dangerous and what health officials learned about fighting them"--Provided by publisher.

A look at how workers deemed 'essential' helped society during the COVID-19 crisis.