Overhyping Coronavirus

While COVID-19, better known as Coronavirus, has gained a lot of momentum over the past month, society is turning into an episode of the Walking Dead. This virus went straight from Wuhan, China, where it originated, to news and social media platforms everywhere. From masks to empty athletic stadiums, when does caution infringe on living? Do not get me wrong, I know it is dangerous for those with pre-existing conditions. However, for the average person, it comes down to a flu-like virus.

All the signs about containing germs and being clean should not be new concepts. You should not just cover your mouth when you sneeze or wash your hands because there is a new virus spreading around, you should be doing so because it represents proper hygiene. Social media is a huge platform that this virus took control of. Regardless of what platform you go on, the trending topics are related to the Coronavirus. This topic has seen it all on social media; fact, fiction, and entertainment. The attitudes on social media try to paint a picture like China is to blame for this, causing people to be prejudiced against Chinese people. The response on social media evolved into #IAmNotAVirus to expose the mass hysteria around the disease.

With over 93,000 confirmed cases globally at the time this article was written, that number continues to grow every day. One thing to remember is that for this time of year it is still peak flu season. When someone gets even a common cold right now, they wonder if they have contracted the virus. Within the past decade, we have seen epidemics surrounding Ebola, the Swine Flu, EEE, and more. Ebola, for instance, had a fatality rate of 90% which is far less than the rate of COVID-19.

Perhaps even writing about this right now plays into the excessive media coverage of this topic. The question remains, will our school follow the path of others and transition to online classes? Also, what is going to happen with graduations? All of these questions will probably be answered relatively soon, but until then it is a waiting game. Ultimately, everyone is just wondering when this chaos will end and life will go back to normal.