You’ve woken to a loaded inbox; the office, college, community groups, all recommending hygiene practises, reaffirming government advice and setting out their policy and procedures for COVID 19. Slurping your ‘cup of Joe’ while passively browsing through the newsfeeds you are bombarded with;
‘Self-quarantine,’
‘X number dead’
‘China’s Chernobyl.’
Concerned; you switch on a live news report, only to be conflicted with lines like
“No room for complacency or panic.”
Well, which is it; ‘don’t panic’ or ‘don’t be complacent’ you ask as you glance around at all the snifflers in close proximity on your public commute, paranoid not to touch your face or any foreign surface.
With all the buzz, it can be difficult to think clearly about COVID 19. Thus leading us to conclude that the apocalypse is upon us. However, when you study the facts and bust the myths you’ll understand that what we are dealing with is not the ‘Day of Reckoning.’
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) as of March 4th, there were 93090 confirmed cases of Conoavirus worldwide, of which 86% (80422) were in China.
Figures above based on WHO figures March 4th
The virus has spread to 76 countries of whom, there are a reported 3198 Deaths. 214 outside of China, mainly occurring in Italy, Iran and South Korea. To put this into perspective the fatality rate in China is 3.6%, Italy 2.0% and Iran 5.5%. These are likely to change as each country grapples with containment and treatment procedures. China has already started seeing their figures decline.
Sky News reported insights from the Imperial College on March 2nd. They reported an estimated worldwide fatality rate of under 1%. Researchers are taking into consideration asymptomatic cases as shown in the diagram below.
Sky also discussed how COVID 19 compares to other diseases like the Flu, Measles, TB etc. They state;
“If the figures are accurate, COVID 19 will be far less contagious than Whooping Cough and Measles and slightly more contagious than Flu.”
They continue saying it’ll be “Slight more deadly than Flu but far less deadly than TB and Minegitius” See the full report below.
So should I panic?
No. Epidemics and Pandemics are part of society. The world has changed allot since the Bubonic Plague and the Spanish flu. Despite a more globalised world, we have significantly better healthcare and advances in treatment. We have better technologies to monitor, predict and collaborate in real-time across the world to understand and combat diseases.
The federal 340B Drug Pricing Program allows qualifying hospitals and clinics that treat low-income and uninsured patients to buy outpatient prescription drugs at a discount of 25 percent to 50 percent. If you need help with understanding the program requirements, check out ProxsysRx’s website.
Is there room for Complacency?
No!
If you are a “vulnerable person” that is, anyone with a compromised immune system, suffering from pre-existing conditions or persons 60+ you may want to take steps to avoid infection, including avoiding contact with infected or closely connected to infected people.
Everyone else should take precautionary steps to limit the spread. This includes not travelling to infected areas. Ensure good hygiene and seeking medical advice if you feel symptoms of the virus. Self-isolation may be a responsible step for those who believe they contracted COVID 19.
For further details including symptoms see the HSE’s Coronavirus page
But until we are advised otherwise, continue with our daily lives. This virus is not the end of humanity, that concern might be the grown trend of Anti-biotic resistance… which WHO are also taking heed to and a topic for another article
Let’s get your opinion. Created by another TheCircular.org contributor (who hasn’t attributed themselves to it)
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