Covid-19: Social or medical issue?

Introduction: Health and illness are usually defined at the medical level but can also be defined sociologically. Historically, disease occurred mainly occurred in the form of pandemics, which over time have been reduced but not eliminated. Purpose: The purpose of this review is to describe ways in which a pandemic can transform society historically and demographically, the socio-cultural factors that influence the experience of Covid-19, to separate medicine from social experience, and to present policies that will help prepare the Health System (HS) for future pandemics. Material and method: The materials used include published scientific articles from the recent literature, which were searched using keywords in Google Scholar and Pubmed databases. Results: A pandemic in the modern times can affect the economy, society, institutions, international relations, health systems, social justice and possibly cause defining historical and demographic changes. The way people experience Covid-19 depends on factors such as marital status, age, gender and cultural, occupational, educational, economic and religious background of each individual, while social health inequalities are of particular importance. The medical condition is difficult to separate from the social experience of Covid-19, as the restrictive measures applied, as well as the social stigmatisation that occurs, have a significant social impact on people's lives, significantly affecting theirmental and physical health. The preparation of the HS for future pandemics include strengthening of social and health structures, research, and education, but also interventions related to the environmentand addressing of social stigma. Conclusions: In conclusion, the lessons learned from Covid-19 call for immediate implementation of global health policies that are common worldwide and contribute to improving the H.S. and preparing it to deal with future pandemics and other health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]