According to the author of “To Fight the Coronavirus, You Need an Army”, the largest problem in terms of caring for Covid-19 patients in Texas was the fact that the ratio of nurses to patients was becoming increasingly hard to handle, with many nurses starting to burn out. The author states that usually in the I.C.U. if the ratio of nurses to patients was one to two, it would be full. However, “The ratio of nurses to patients in the I.C.U. has occasionally climbed to one to three, or higher” (Nuila, 2020), while other nurses in the medical-surgical unit would then have to handle eight patients instead of four. In response to the increased demands, a former I.C.U. nurse explains that nurses were being forced to work 6 twelve-hour shifts each week. She even explains that many people assume nurses weren’t as specialized as doctors, but in fact, they are stressed out from having to learn new tasks that they were not trained in before. This has resulted in many nurses becoming burnt out. However, due to increased staffing and new technology, patients have been recovering at a faster rate and hospitals are no longer struggling as much. Even so, the author explains that this fight against the virus does depend mostly on the individuals, which has become a challenge due to the state’s lack of resources and funding, which would be used to keep the virus under control. The state relies on individuals to wear their masks in order to keep the virus reproduction rate low.

Individual choices impact society during the pandemic because individuals have control over whether they take the necessary steps to prevent them from getting the virus. Their lack of prevention can lead to many others being infected, such as how the supermarket cashier mentioned in “Hotel Corona” infected her whole village. As a result, they must give up their freedom, even when it comes to certain traditions like Passover.

In Hotel Corona, two groups with a history of conflict, the Arabs and the Jews, were forced to live together at a hotel. Despite having completely opposing beliefs, they bonded over having the virus, becoming more open to learning about each other’s cultures and laughing at their differences. Their interactions were publicized, much to the shock of the rest of the society. An event that especially stood out was when the orthodox guests decided to take down the wall between them and the secular guests. In regular society, this would’ve sparked protest and much controversy, but the guests managed to overcome this boundary. This event serves as a sign of hope for society. If the hotel guests can come together despite their differences, why can’t everyone else in society? Once again, Corona forces individuals in society to reevaluate their values and provide hope for a more peaceful future.