History UsefulNotes / COVID19Pandemic

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

The situation remains more dire in cinemas outside the US and East Asia, where continued outbreaks and unsuccessful vaccination campaigns have led to more shutdowns even as Hollywood blockbusters launch. As a result, many of these films continue to release on PVOD and streaming services internationally. Even in the US, vaccines remain unapproved for children under age 12, so a large number of family films (such as ''WesternAnimation/{{Soul}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheMitchellsVsTheMachines'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Luca}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheBossBabyFamilyBusiness'') continue to debut primarily at home or have had release dates pushed further back (''Clifford the Big Red Dog'' gave up plans for a September launch due to the Delta variant). Expectations of a downturn in business for films that aren't deemed "cinema-worthy" has also continued to drive sales of mid-to-low-budget films to streaming providers, leading to concerns that there may no longer be a place for non-blockbusters at the movie theater, which only grew after the poor box office showing of ''Film/InTheHeights'' despite a massive ad campaign. Whether things will change following the summer season remains to be seen.\\

Compared to other entertainment mediums, video games are thriving amidst the pandemic -- at least at first glance. As game studios already allow working remotely, and playing video games doesn't involve physical interaction with others, the industry saw record revenue during the first few months of the pandemic with relatively few layoffs. Most notably, Creator/{{Nintendo}} saw its profits soar by more than ''428%'' in the April-June quarter thanks to the release of ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons'' around the same time mass lockdowns were happening. However, the cancellation of major trade shows like [[UsefulNotes/ElectronicEntertainmentExpo E3]] has been a blow for indie developers who rely on conventions for exposure. As the pandemic dragged on, video game production began experiencing setbacks as social distancing rules slowed production at hardware supply chains and remote working limited developer access to high-end equipment normally found in studios. The pandemic also coincided with the launch of the [[UsefulNotes/TheNinthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames Ninth Console Generation]], meaning that several developers have to port their games to multiple platforms with fewer available resources. Combined with high demand induced by a new round of lockdown orders, these problems led to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 and UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS selling out at launch. Alongside the consoles, [=PC=] Gaming on computers has exploded during the pandemic, with crippling shortages of [=CPUs=] and graphics cards by the end of 2020, with manufacturers failing to meet demand. For now, the video game industry are faring better than its film and theater peers, but there is still some doubt whether the current path is sustainable. A related industry that had a massive boom was live streamers, who took advantage of everyone being locked in doors during the day to broadcast to massive audiences. WebAnimation/{{Hololive}} rode this boost with their 4th & 5th Japanese generations gaining huge subscriber counts and then launched their English branch, one of whom, Gawr Gura, gained 3.5 ''million'' subscribers in roughly a year, becoming the largest vtuber on the platform.\\

** In main series games from ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee'' onwards, both 'COVID' and 'Coronavirus' are censored in-game, meaning that you can't name your trainers or Pokémon after the virus; this level of censorship is actually baked into the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo Switch}}'s firmware.

* ''VideoGame/LikeADragonInfiniteWealth'', like its whole franchise, is based in plenty of realism - as the game takes place after a four year time jump from 2019 to 2023, there are passing mentions of "the pandemic" in common vernacular when describing things that went on during said TimeJump.

* While not directly addressed in ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'', the first episode of Season 3 does see Ann and the Plantars [[spoiler:undergoing a quarantine of sorts after they reach Los Angeles, with Ann's overprotective parents insisting that they stay in her sight at all times]]. The pandemic is never mentioned in Season 3, but given that the title of Season 3's first episode is "The New Normal", it's clear that the staff drew some inspiration from their quarantine experiences.

* Sea shanty/folk band The Longest Johns released a variation of "Fathom the Bowl" called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLkFNVKQ53c "Flatten the Curve"]] just before the UK went into lockdown in 2020, encouraging viewers to stay home. [[note]]The Johns recorded this as they were collecting things to record at home, as JD's home / their base for livestreams was no longer going to be available due to social distancing, so they thought "why not as we're all here, one last time"[[/note]]. They then recorded [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOoIGsyRyCQ "See You All When Lockdown Ends"]], an experimental collaboration song about being apart from friends and loved ones for Christmas.

* The backstory for Literature/AmericanGirl's 2022 ''Girl of the Year'' Corinne Tan -- who is of Chinese descent -- portrays the xenophobia and racism she and the Asian-American community in general faced due to the pandemic. The so-called "kung flu" epithet coined by UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump and used to disparage Asians who are unfairly blamed for the disease was also [[https://www.americangirl.com/content/ag/en/explore/articles/learning/why-corinne-matters.html mentioned]] in the story. The pandemic was also briefly mention in the previous character Kira's books as why she and her mother had not gone to Australia the prior year as planned.

* The backstory for [[Literature/AmericanGirlsCollection American Girl]]'s 2022 ''Girl of the Year'' Corinne Tan -- who is of Chinese descent -- portrays the xenophobia and racism she and the Asian-American community in general faced due to the pandemic. The so-called "kung flu" epithet coined by UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump and used to disparage Asians who are unfairly blamed for the disease was also [[https://www.americangirl.com/content/ag/en/explore/articles/learning/why-corinne-matters.html mentioned]] in the story.

* ''Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever'' ran into a speedbump during production, as Creator/LetitiaWright (Shuri) is vocally anti-vaccine and refused to get innoculated agaisnt COVID. Lupita Nyongo'o (Nakia) caught the virus during filming.

* [=WatchMojo=] puts COVID-19 pandemic as the number 1 reason on why 2020 was the worst in their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbKNr1TzicM video.]] In fact, it was so bad that this pandemic could fill the entire list on why 2020 sucked. While they did mention the vaccine being administered to everyone, they stated that 2020 will be a "historic year for all the wrong reasons" due to its effects likely persisting for years to come.

* ''WebVideo/WatchMojo'' puts COVID-19 pandemic as the number 1 reason on why 2020 was the worst in their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbKNr1TzicM video.]] In fact, it was so bad that this pandemic could fill the entire list on why 2020 sucked. While they did mention the vaccine being administered to everyone, they stated that 2020 will be a "historic year for all the wrong reasons" due to its effects likely persisting for years to come.

* ''WebAnimation/ATTACKOnMIKA'': During the COVID-19 pandemic, titular character Mika Shingeki had white mask on her chin. The mask became a part of her classic attire.

* ''WebAnimation/ATTACKonMIKA'': During the COVID-19 pandemic, titular character Mika Shingeki had white mask on her chin. The mask became a part of her classic attire.

* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'' sets its pilot against the backdrop of the pandemic, with Louis pointing out that Daniel must have been truly compelled to come finish up their interrupted interview from decades back if he was willing to get on a plane to Dubai during a pandemic while experiencing an autoimmune disease.

* ''Series/InterviewWithAVampire2022'' sets its pilot against the backdrop of the pandemic, with Louis pointing out that Daniel must have been truly compelled to come finish up their interrupted interview from decades back if he was willing to get on a plane to Dubai during a pandemic while experiencing an autoimmune disease.

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' was a victim of some poor timing; they had just released the ''Ikoria: Lair of the Behemoths'' set, and part of the marketing with that involved a cross-promotion with ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'', with various {{Kaiju}} from the films appearing as 'skins' for cards. Unfortunately, one of those cards just happened to be a Void Beckoner, renamed to [[https://scryfall.com/card/iko/373/void-beckoner Spacegodzilla, Death Corona]]. Wizards of the Coast apologized for the oversight and went so far as to say that it would be absent from any physical reprints, while renaming the card to "Spacegodzilla, Void Invader" on ''Magic Arena''.

In May 2023, the World Health Organization [[https://www.bbc.com/news/health-65499929 announced]] that the virus was no longer a "global health emergency", although it remains a serious concern.

However, with the emergence of Delta variant from India and easing of restrictions, there have been an uptake in confirmed cases during Summer 2021. Thankfully, the vaccines are currently effective against Delta and other variants in preventing hospitalization and deaths. Furthermore, while masks are required indoors, lockdowns can be avoided so long as people are vaccinated. The rising number of cases and aversion to another lockdown has lead to rebound in the national vaccination rate. The highest number of new cases in the summer surge are in Florida, Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri, with the first two accounting for nearly half of all new cases. A outbreak among schoolchildren is feared given how vaccines for people under age 12 weren't approved until the end of October even as schools resumed in-person despite the Delta variant's presence. Nearly 1 in 5 cases of COVID in the US in the August 2021 wave was a child under 15. One school which opened without a mask requirement had '''''40%''''' of its students down with the Delta variant in just a week. In response to lagging vaccination rates and surging COVID cases, Biden enacted a series of mandates requiring corporate workers, federal workers, and health care workers to get vaccinated. Likewise, many state and local officials began crafting their vaccine mandates for law enforcement, first responders, and educators, though these have often been vehemently, even violently, opposed. Educators suffered particularly badly as school board meetings across the country were beset by belligerent protestors, and some first responders and police officers quit their jobs rather than accept a shot. By Thanksgiving Day of 2021, the Omicron variant from South Africa had quickly emerged and spread in the United States and by the end of 2021 had not only become the dominant strain in the US, but it caused a surge even worse than the winter 2021 surge the previous January. This eventually led to the Biden administration admitting that they should learn to live with COVID instead of completely eradicating it.\\