Introduction

Different types of social workers handle different groups of people while offering them services. A child and family social worker is tasked with protecting vulnerable children and families in need of assistance. School social workers cooperate with teachers, guardians, and school administration to help improve student academic performance and social development. Healthcare social workers help patients understand their diagnosis and make the necessary changes to adjust their lives to help manage the illness. Clinical social workers engage with addicts and clients with mental illness to help them cope with their predicament. This paper will focus on social workers and how the pandemic has impacted their practice.

Literature Review

Social work is a practice that has existed for a long time but has not been fully recognized. In Africa, the practice faces many challenges, one being the lack of an organization to help oversee the training and education of social workers (Mwansa, 2010). The practice is only recognized in major countries although the rate of employment of social workers is low. The novel coronavirus pandemic made the practice known and appreciated as it saw the National Association of Social Worker device guideline on covid-19 (NASW, 2020). In Ireland, the practice was essential in helping everyone cope with the pandemic (Ashcroft, Sur, Greenblatt & Donahue, 2021). Though essential, the details of the practice were less known to the general public.

Coronavirus is a family of viruses causing respiratory and intestinal illnesses to humans and animals. On December 31, 2019, World Health Organization received an alert from China on pneumonia cases with unknown etiology. Cases were primarily reported from people who lived or worked around seafood markets (Harapan et al., 2020). On January 7, 2020, coronavirus was detected by the World Health Organization from throat swabs of patients reported to have traveled from China. The pathogen causing symptoms was named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV- 2) and disease coronavirus or Covid-19.

Human coronavirus is divided into four subgroups: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. The virus was identified in the mid1960s having seven variants that affect people (CDC, 2021). Viruses that infect people include 229E, NL63, OC43, HKU1, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 with 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1. At times the virus mutates from being infectious to an animal to humans, and these variants include nCoV, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV (CDC, 2021). The virus mutated to the current SARS-CoV-2 that has terrorized countries threatening populations.

Cases of the virus were reported to increase rapidly, making diagnosis difficult. China had 7736 confirmed cases with 12,167 suspected cases and 82 confirmed cases in other 18 countries (Harapan et al., 2020). WHO declared the Covind-19 virus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. The virus origin was unclear and a mode of transmission, making it hard for social workers to trace contacts. The virus frequently adapted and changed, leading to confusion among health workers on how to manage its prevalence.

Social workers had to carry out follow-ups as the virus symptoms took time to appear and at times reoccurred. These symptoms include fever, dry cough, chest pain, fatigue, and myalgia (Harapan et al., 2020). Headache, dizziness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting were less common symptoms (Harapan et al., 2020). Symptoms vary depending on the severity of the infection and its progression. Severe complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), hypoxemia, arrhythmia, shock, cardiac injury, and kidney failure may present. These close symptoms follow-ups which nurses do not offer but social workers is vital for recovery.

The health care system was strained by the challenges that came along with the spread of the pandemic. Patients were dying on hospital beds, and there was congestion and lack of rest among the health care workers (Javed, Sarwer, Soto & Mashwani, 2020). Caregivers were under pressure and stress resulting from the workload and physical exhaustion. Social workers were constantly exposed to the virus, which affected their general health, impacting their service provision. Ashcroft et al. (2021) affirm that the covid-19 pandemic led to activities disruptions and workplaces closure. The virus affected males more than females, with high cases reported on adult males (Ashcroft, Sur, Greenblatt & Donahue, 2021). The virus led to increased instances of mental health illnesses, restrictions in traveling, and technological methods of conducting activities. The health sector was affected as caregivers were at risk of contracting the virus with the increased workload. The number of social workers did not match th