If you are wondering what the butterfly effect is and how it affects COVID-19 patients, you have come to the right place. Here is everything you need to know.
“You could not remove a single grain of sand from its place without thereby changing something throughout all parts of the immeasurable whole.”
— Fichte, The Vocation of Man (1800)
The butterfly effect is a phenomenon most of us are familiar with. The way an insignificant event on the other end of the world can affect our everyday lives is incomprehensible at times. Although it is not a minor event, COVID-19 has caused significant changes for everyone across the globe.
As people struggle to come to terms with the changes brought on by COVID-19 and all its variants, medical professionals must deal with the COVID-19 patients, and the butterfly effect caused by someone with COVID-19 symptoms in London can affect a patient in New York.
As the cases continue to increase with each passing day, it causes difficulties for health care systems worldwide. Before we get into the details of the butterfly effect related to COVID-19 patients, let’s find out more about what it actually is.
What is the Butterfly Effect?
“A butterfly flutters its wings in the Amazon and triggers a typhoon in China”.
One of the most significant aspects of chaos theory, the butterfly effect, has been the center of countless discussions over the past few decades. There have been many variants of the statement mentioned above, with different places the butterfly flaps its wings and where the typhoon is caused. However, the fundamental idea remains the same.
The central concept of the butterfly effect is that small events can have a non-linear impact on a complex system. It is difficult to imagine how a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a typhoon, but it is the idea that minor things can serve as catalysts that bring about extreme events.
This distinct effect was first identified by Edward Lorenz, a mathematician and meteorologist who combined these disciplines to give birth to the chaos theory. During his experiments for weather predictions, he realized that a slight change in the initial conditions could significantly affect the end result.
Lorenz explained how weather prediction models are fundamentally flawed because the most minor changes in conditions can throw off the results. In various speeches and interviews, he mentioned how a butterfly flapping its wings could not cause a typhoon in the area, but it can change its trajectory.
Miniscule differences in atmospheric pressure can pile on to change the outcome. In the paper, Lorenz claimed that it is impossible to pinpoint which tiny event starts the chain of events. In his example, the butterfly represents a quantity that is unknowable.
All complex systems around us are vulnerable. Any event we think of as insignificant can have devastating effects on the world. There are numerous famous instances in history that are examples of the butterfly effect.
We have recently witnessed how patient zero in China coughing has led to lockdowns and curfews worldwide. The way COVID-19 has spread across the globe is another example of the butterfly effect. COVID-19 patients everywhere are affected in some capacity by other patients. Let’s find out more about the butterfly effect in relation to COVID-19 and the patients.
How Does it Relate to COVID-19 Patients?
It is more probable than you think that a person suffering from COVID-19 symptoms in Connecticut can affect a COVID-19 patient in a hospital in Oklahoma. The butterfly effect of coronavirus is something you cannot underestimate.
We can all agree that COVID-19 is in no sense a minor or insignificant event. However, it is astonishing how a COVID-19 patient in any corner of the world choosing not to wear a mask can cause a health care crisis and lead to overburdened hospitals.
Health care systems everywhere in the world have faced a major crisis. One of the most significant issues that came to light due to this pandemic was how the health care of countries like America was already failing, and COVID-19 revealed it to the entire world. Hospitals in states with strict mask and vaccination protocols are also suffering because people in other states that are not following these protocols have to be moved to states with a lower transmission rate.
The increase in COVID-19 patients has also impacted other departments of medicine and diseases. For example, when coronavirus began spreading, the oncology workflow was significantly slowed down and had to face a tremendous amount of hindrance.
The rate of fatality of COVID-19 patients was a cause of concern for every department, and it caused problems for other patients. Doctors and health care professionals working in clinics or outpatient departments had to halt their practice and join the workforce fighting on the frontlines. Patients were also hesitant to visit hospitals for other diseases due to the high risk of contracting COVID-19.
The chaos theory and butterfly effect tell us that it is impossible to control any system and outcomes. However, conditions can be created that enable high performances and look out for catalysts that can adversely affect the results.
To prevent the health care systems and hospitals from facing a crisis and being overloaded with COVID-19 patients, the government can create conditions that can help avoid catalysts. By making masks and vaccinations mandatory by federal law, the number of COVID-19 cases might go down. Following strict public health measures could also take the pressure off hospitals.
The health care systems in countries like the United States are sophisticated and, at some level, extremely fragile. The butterfly effect caused by not following public health protocols and getting vaccinated could be the downfall of the entire system. With the Delta variant of COVID-19 already at its peak, it is more important than ever to take every precaution possible.
Final Takeaway
The butterfly proves how everything in the world is connected. Even the slightest change in an event can act as a catalyst for a major shift in end results.
As COVID-19 emerged in the world, it was an example of how a seemingly insignificant nanoparticle can turn everything upside down.
From lockdowns to a health care crisis to millions of lives being lost, the pandemic changed our lives forever and proved the world’s interconnectedness.
