COVID Anniversary: A Look Back on the Devastating Period That Changed U.S.
Spectators in the crowd are seeing wearing face masks during Men’s Singles Semifinals match between Daniil Medvedev of Russia and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece on day 12 of the 2021 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on February 19, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

COVID anniversary is near approaching. It's been almost a year since the COVID-19 started infecting thousands of people and wreaking havoc in the United States and other countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. President Joe Biden is set to deliver his first prime-time address on March 11 to commemorate the anniversary of restrictions taken nationwide to halt the spread of COVID-19.

As COVID anniversary draws near, many recalled the days of being under lockdown and the enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions that continue to affect most Americans.

On the brighter side, the COVID-19 set a new bar for vaccine production and immediate response from medical researchers to develop an antidote that will save the world from dipping into further turmoil. Different sectors such as the economy, education, and even the leisure people usually dive into suffered a blow from the pandemic.

COVID Anniversary: A Look Back on the Impacts of COVID-19

COVID-19 on Healthcare

The medical field is guaranteed to be the busiest because they cater to a large number of patients admitted due to COVID-19.

The disease has affected the treatments of other patients not contracted by the coronavirus. Suddenly, the medical field was focused on COVID-19, and sadly other complications that patients experience are being set aside.

According to a World Health Organization's (WHO) survey, health services have been partially or completely disrupted in many countries.

It stated that results suggest more than 53 percent of half of the countries surveyed have been partially or fully interrupted treatments for hypertension, 49 percent for diabetes and diabetes-related complication, 42 percent for cancer treatment 31 percent for cardiovascular emergencies.

Moreover, rehabilitation services were also disturbed because of COVID-19. These disturbances happened because many healthcare workers have been reassigned to respond to the increasing number of COVID-19 patients.

The U.S. has already seen 28 million COVID-19 cases, and the deadly virus killed more than half a million people and counting.

COVID-19 on Economy

The American economy was also affected by the global pandemic. Because COVID-19 rapidly spread across Asia, Europe, and United States, NBC News reported that as safety measures, many countries implemented travel restrictions, businesses and government offices had shut down, affecting the American economy and taking a big blow.

Supplies of essentials such as masks and milk are also affected because of the pandemic. NBC News further noted that 2020 also ended with a high unemployment rate at close to 10 percent. There was also a significant decrease in the women labor force and an increase in affected small businesses and restaurants due to a drop in tourism.

COVID-19 on Education

There is also a shift in education as they switch platforms from in-personal classes to online classes, surprising students and educators in the new setup.

According to Brookings, without absolute data on how COVID-19 affects student learning, arriving in sound decisions whether or when to return to in-person instruction is still difficult. However, the institution also noted that schools closing in during last year's spring has negative impacts on students, such as their achievement.

COVID-19 on Entertainment

The entertainment industry and the sports industry are also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Vulture, concerts of famous musicians and bands such as Guns N' Roses, Justin Bieber, The Weekend, and Harry Styles rescheduled their tour in 2021 instead of pushing it through in 2020.

Concert halls Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall had suspended all the acts that will take place in their respective venue. Sports events like the NBA All-Star game also adapted to the situation by playing in an arena suitable for television viewing.

March is the month that marks the COVID anniversary, and it is evident in the previous year that it has taken so much toll on humanity in different aspects. But with the vaccine rollout, we expect to recover from the pandemic.

WATCH: Understanding the Economic Shock of the COVID-19 Crisis - From Harvard Business Review