Psychosocial, Economic and Environmental Impact of COVID-19: Risks and Rewards

Background and Objective: Two thousand twenty was a significant year for the world, changing drastically every aspect of human life within a short period of time due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The pandemic affected human beings physically, psychologically as well as and socioeconomically. A noticeable reduction of environmental pollution and climate changes were reported during the worldwide lockdown in response to COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a public health emergency. In spite of the panic created globally, the positive and negative elements resulting in risks and rewards have been discussed extensively. This narrative synthesis further presents suggestions to reorganize the social systems to save the earth during pandemic.

Methods: A thorough literature search was carried out during December 2019 – January 2021 period, using the PubMed, Researchgate and Google Scholar. Findings were presented as a narrative synthesis.

Results: Findings report a noticeable reward of COVID-19 including the positive impact of family life, in terms of improving inter-family relationships, climate changes such as reduction of environmental pollution, carbon emissions and energy use. Negative aspects include the economic crisis and financial risks caused by restrictions such as lockdown measures.

Conclusions: The COVID-19 has immediate positive effects on the environment while there are negative effects on economic aspects.