March 9, 2020

Be prepared - not scared regarding Sars-CoV-2

Recently the world has been gripped with fear due to the new Novel Coronavirus. In fact just using the word Corona is something feared as some people - a very small percentage - refuse to order a corona beer in public due to the connection to the corona virus.

Media has taken full advantage of this outbreak of a new virus, creating new headlines daily ramping up the virus to make it sound like the end of the world. Every time a new person is infected or dies due to the disease it is reported as though it is breaking news akin to a new war being declared. In fact it has gone so far that the CDC has actually created a fact sheet on dealing with the stress of the 2019-nCoV outbreak. One of the suggested steps is to limit the amount of time spent watching/listening/reading to media coverage that is upsetting - including the coverage of the virus outbreak itself.

When we have to be told it's time to start turning off the news due to the amount of anxiety it is producing in certain populations, we then know that certain things are going wrong.

In fact the anxiety and feeling of dread is causing critical supply shortages worldwide. There is the traditional shortages of water, toilet paper that one comes to expect in an emergency but due to fear people are also buying up various masks - both effective and ineffective ones - hand sanitizer, cleaners, etc... In fact some people have gotten so desperate for hand sanitizer that they have resorted to going online for instructions on how to make hand sanitizer at home - leading to Tito's Vodka releasing a statement on Twitter that their vodka was not strong enough to be used. For the record - the CDC recommends that hand sanitizer be at least 60% alcohol for it to potentially be effective in the fight against 2019-nCoV.

The only effective type of mask is the N-95 mask - and even then unless you are actively working with someone who has been exposed to the virus or in one of the global hotspots you typically will not need to use a N-95 mask. The mask that is selling faster then stores can keep in stock is the type that is used in dental procedures to keep saliva from the doctor from dropping into your mouth as well as to keep any splash-back from your mouth from entering the dentist mouth. It is unable to filter the air and protect you from getting the virus - the only thing it is good for is if you are sick already and wanting to prevent the spread of droplets from your nose and mouth from being flung into air.

There is never anything wrong with being prepared for the unknown. Keeping a few days supply of things on hand is always a good idea - new virus or not. But going out, buying everything in stock at the stores, hanging on every word of the news for new infected patients, getting concerned and anxious when one additional person dies from the virus - unfortunately this is going to happen. We just need to stay calm, get informed through official sources - WHO for example - and relax. This isn't the world ending virus that the media hypes it up to be, but if we let media control the perceived threat level of this virus it will end up being the end of us by way of fear.

While it is true that on paper this virus seems to be deadlier then the annual flu - not all the data is in yet. We are getting a better picture of its ability to spread, live on surfaces, and kill as time goes on but this is not shaping up to be something that has the potential to wipe out life as we know it. Make things a little inconvenient for a while until a new vaccine is prepared and we develop natural immunity to it? Yes. But earth shattering societal collapse? No. We need to stop letting media decide what we should be scared of, and instead go read the facts ourselves to discover what is going on - and then make judgments based on facts and reported hysteria.

Be prepared - not scared.