Introduction: A pandemic is an epidemic of an infectious disease that affects the human
population over a large area or even around the world. In December 2019, pneumonia of
unknown origin first appeared in China and spread very rapidly among the population.
Scientists found that it had originated from an infection with SARS-CoV-2 and named it
covid-19 on 11 February 2020. It was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization
on 11 March 2020. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to review the literature on how
the world coped with the covid-19 pandemic in the first wave of infections, more
specifically, what measures countries took, according to the mode of virus transmission, and
what their infection control strategies were. Methods: In the diploma thesis, the descriptive
method of work with a review of professional and scientific literature was used. We searched
for it using the DiKUL digital library's remote access and browsing international databases
such as PubMed, CINAHL and Medline. The literature review was conducted between
November 2020 and May 2021. 46 units of literature in English and one internal document
in Slovene were included in the literature review. Results: The stability of the health care
system is inextricably linked to the broader social systems that surround it. Epidemics
require large amounts of scarce resources and place a heavy burden on the social and
economic system. Health protection relies not only on a well-functioning health system with
universal coverage, but also on social inclusion, justice, international cooperation and
solidarity. Discussion and conclusion: The power of the health care system is inextricably
linked to the broader social systems that surround it. Covid-19 has had a major impact on
access to health care, basic services, and educational institutions. The threat of future
pandemics should encourage government investment in resources to promote public health,
strengthen community and territorial services in order to be as successful as possible in
emergency situations in organizing health services and meeting basic human needs. We can
also learn from this pandemic that proper communication between health professionals and
counsellors and the public motivates people to be aware of and take appropriate action to
best manage health emergencies. In the future, governments should pay more attention to
plans to mitigate the negative effects of a pandemic, especially for vulnerable social groups.
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