CoVID-19: Uncovered

The whole world is in panic mode after the outbreak of the coronavirus (CoVID-19) in Wuhan. All over the globe surgical masks, thermometers and hand sanitiser are being bought at a ridiculous pace, flying off the shelves and into the clutches of anxiety ridden consumers. But does this outbreak really need this kind of alarm? In this article, I shall be reviewing the facts about the virus to see if this level of panic and fear is justified.

First of all, and reassuringly for the international community, almost every single coronavirus case so far can be directly or indirectly tracked to Wuhan itself. This means the virus is reasonably well contained and is by no means out of control yet. The virus can only be transmitted by coming into contact with an infected person’s saliva or a cough or a sneeze, meaning that unless you have come into contact with someone who has been to China ever so recently and who is coughing and spluttering, there is a very, very, very low chance of catching this virus.

Even if you are one of the unlucky few and do end up becoming infected (outside of China), there is another very small chance of death. The mortality rate outside of China is only 0.2%. Put this into perspective alongside the mortality rate of the more common influenza which stands at 1% and it should help reassure you.  

I’m not for a moment arguing that we should be complacent in our response to the virus - as if it does spread rapidly and start to span around the globe more comprehensively then a lot of people will fall seriously ill, but what i am arguing is that we need to keep a sense of perspective and level-headedness. Yes, CoV-19 is scary but there is no need to panic yet.