key: cord-0965080-koob6hrw
authors: Parente, Mírian Perpétua Palha Dias
title: COVID-19: its consequences and lessons
date: 2021-03-03
journal: Revista brasileira de medicina do trabalho : publicacao oficial da Associacao Nacional de Medicina do Trabalho-ANAMT
DOI: 10.47626/1679-4435-2020-184
sha: af172a1ba5b59fb372a6efa0d93b3e58eefa3ced
doc_id: 965080
cord_uid: koob6hrw

nan

In the field of occupational health, major issues came to the fore, especially with the legalization of telemedicine for the duration of the pandemic and the ethical issues raised by tele-examination of workers and the consequent transformation of the doctor-patient relationship. Ethical and legal principles must be safeguarded for the physician, the patient (worker), and the employer. Another very difficult decision involved defining who would telecommute, or work from home, and when to place individuals in high-risk groups on leave from their face-to-face activities; the logistics of contact tracing and isolation were also challenging.

The greatest concerns in relation to health care workers certainly involved adequate protection so that they could discharge their functions safely. Front-line workers are more exposed to the virus and to excess workloads, largely due to a lack of personnel. This surge of patients was further compounded by supply shortages and difficulties in testing. Most professionals have had to endure isolation from their families and learn to cope with the loss of those who have died, affecting them emotionally and physically.

Although COVID-19 represents an enormous burden on the economy, the health system, and society, 2020 came to an end with excellent news: the start of vaccination in other countries and the prospect that an effective and safe vaccine will soon be available to all. Many challenges remain, especially the possibility of emerging variants of the epidemic strain of SARS-CoV-2 giving rise to new mechanisms associated with increased spread across human populations. 3 However, from a positive standpoint, the fact that we are alive and have survived the pandemic means we can say goodbye to 2020 with gratitude, seek out more wisdom and the ability to enjoy a new outlook on life, and welcome 2021 with the hope of a better future.

Editor-in-Chief, Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Trabalho referenCes

Pan American Health Organization. Folha informativa COVID-19 -Escritório da OPAS e da OMS no Brasil. Brasília: PAHO; 2020

The Toilers of the Sea

Emergence of a Highly Fit SARS-CoV-2 Variant