I keep reading Facebook and Twitter posts about the media blowing up the Coronavirus issue and causing widespread panic. I see people blaming President Trump, or Governor Cuomo. I see people blasting Liberals for creating this hype. I even see people claiming it’s a hoax. There are a few things that are being overlooked or underestimated here. While I’m certainly not a healthcare professional, I like to believe I have some common sense. So allow me to explain why this is such a big deal.
Overheard complaint #1: This is no different than influenza and the flu kills more people than coronavirus.
Here’s how this is different from the flu: there is no vaccine to prevent it, nor a treatment to cure it. Unlike influenza, which has been around for a century, there is no way to protect the most vulnerable members of our society. Researchers are frantically trying to come up with a vaccine that would protect those with compromised immune systems. Do you know anyone over the age of 65? Does anyone in your life have cancer? Diabetes? Heart disease? Asthma? Cystic Fibrosis? These are some of the people at the highest risk of dying from coronavirus.
Obviously the number of people worldwide with the flu and those who die of the flu are higher than those of coronavirus. The flu has been around for more than a hundred years. It has had plenty of time to travel the world. When it first emerged in 1918, it killed 50 million people. Since then, thanks to science and our bodies’ immune systems, the fatality rate has plummeted. Scientists have since created vaccines to prevent the flu and anti-virals to help treat it. Neither exists for Coronavirus. Coronavirus is just getting started. While the number of people who contract the flu and die of the flu are higher, the fatality rate of coronavirus is vastly higher. According to the CDC, the fatality rate of the flu is around .1%. The fatality rate for coronavirus is only available for China, where it has killed around 3% in more highly populated areas. That means for every 1,000 people infected with the flu, 1 will die. For every 1,000 people infected with coronavirus, 30 will die. It is true that the overwhelming majority of those who contract the virus will recover without medical intervention, it just means that for someone at risk, the chances are much higher that it could kill them because there is no known treatment. We look to China to see predict the potential impact of the disease because it has only just begun to reach the United States.
Overheard complaint #2: Cancellation of public events is overreaction.
Well, since there is no prevention or cure, the best way to prevent the spread is to limit contact. Since the virus is highly contagious, and can be transmitted before symptoms become apparent, a single person could unknowingly infect dozens of people every day. Handwashing and good hygiene are the best ways to protect yourself, but you can’t fully prevent droplets containing the virus from spreading to others. So therefore, cancellation of large events is a wise move until the threat passes and a proven treatment and/or vaccine is created.
Overheard complain #3: This is all blown up by the media, there is no real threat.
In the media we walk a fine line between keeping people informed, and scaring them. I believe information is power, and the more people know, the better off we all are.
What we have seen in China has been devastating to their economy. They had to shut down entire cities, confining people to their homes. Businesses and schools closed, factories shut down, and restaurants shuttered their doors. Families had to rely on food delivered by a service or drone. Residents were unable to go to work. It cost the Chinese economy nearly 60 Billion dollars. THAT is what we are trying desperately to avoid here in the United States. It is happening on a small scale, by closing some schools and places of worship. Colleges are sending students home and moving to distance learning. Large events are being cancelled and sports are played without spectators. While this is an inconvenience, a disappointment, and a slight economic hit for some communities, it pales in comparison to a nationwide shut down.
So, in my opinion, watching an NCAA basketball game on TV instead of being at the Times Union Center or missing my daughter’s championship swim meet because it is closed to spectators (or maybe even cancelled) is a small price to pay for the health of our community, and the strength of our national economy. The Capital Region can withstand losing the potential dollars the NCAA tournament would have infused, and there will be other swim meets. The consequences of the alternatives would be far more devastating in the long run.
And for those of you who believe this is a hoax created by one side of the political aisle, you probably also believe that 9/11 was an inside job, Sandy Hook was a hoax featuring child actors, and the Holocaust never happened. In that case, your focus should be on MENTAL health, rather than public health.
For the rest of us, all we can do is have patience and understanding…. and wash our hands.
Photo: Getty Images