In late 2019, COVID-19, commonly referred to as the coronavirus, took hold of the public’s attention. The media blasted reports and people started to actually wash their hands after going to the bathroom. Luckily, the district administration hasn’t released any district-wide memo to further stoke fear among students.
As spring break approaches, traveling students are wary and paranoid without good reason. Rampant misinformation is spreading faster than the virus ever could.Students traveling overseas are eager to find out more about their destinations. Senior Sara Hoskins’ family has prepared for inconvenience. “For my trip, we ended up getting travel insurance just in case our trip got cancelled,” she said.
Whenever something unexpected appears, the media jumps onto it and holds tight. By catering to the audiences’ fear of the unknown, they can control the story. In the case of viral outbreak, the media can’t sell papers by downplaying it. Everything is turned up a notch to garner more attention. These bloated stories create misinformed and paranoid viewers and readers.
To be frank, coronavirus is a serious world health concern. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19’s attack rate is between 1.4 and 2.5. This means each victim will spread the virus to two other people, on average. But this doesn’t provide sufficient grounds to worry. Influenza has an attack rate of 5.5 among the unvaccinated, equating to almost six additional cases for every victim. The population is panicked with COVID-19, yet influenza is a-okay.
Perhaps, some will say, it is due to the mortality rate. Influenza has a mortality rate of around 0.0005%, meaning one out of 200,000 victims will pass. COVID-19 does have a larger mortality rate. According to the CDC, the overall mortality rate for the coronavirus is 3.4%. But the rate for each age group is very different. Victims over 80 years old are at a 14% mortality rate, but teenagers have a 0.2% rate.
In 2014, the world was shaken by an outbreak of the Ebola virus. With a fatality rate of 90%, people around the world were worried. But the world survived, and Ebola has been eradicated from the United States. The serious health crisis was handled and life returned to normal. Solely because the coronavirus is more contagious doesn’t mean it is going to wipe people off the face of the earth.
COVID-19 is being handled appropriately by health professionals. Precautions are being taken and victims are being treated. But the overall public attitude towards it is one of fear and paranoia, which helps no one. A little research and common sense can go a long way in providing a realistic look on a supposed global health crisis.
