With all of the media coverage, and it’s integration in popular culture, the coronavirus, Sars-CoV-2, that causes the respiratory disease COVID-19, is a public health risk. In the midst of all the panic, I wanted to write a brief informative article. It is important to know, that every credited source that you read’s information is only reliable up to that day. As I am writing this article it is March 11th, 2020. It is also important to know I am not a healthcare professional and merely giving the means to obtain proper and basic information so everybody can be educated.
Today the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a Pandemic, as it is present on six out of seven continents with the exception of Antarctica. So, many people inevitably will flee to the internet for advice and information on this disease. The sources that are reliable and should be considered are the World Health Organization, Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the National Institute of Health (NIH). Mainstream media is biased and likely should be avoided as many anchors will exaggerate. All of the previously mentioned resources have great graphs as well as constantly updating information.
In order to keep yourself and loved ones safe a few things are important. The first being not to panic, it is interpretive through the data that most generally healthy people, who are not in the at risk population, will not be affected as seriously as people with upper respiratory ailments, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and older adults. It is important that we limit contact with people in at risk populations if we frequently interact with others in order to limit spread. My final piece of advice is actually engaging in proper hygiene. That includes using soap while washing your hands, singing happy birthday two times while washing is a good measure of time. Also, try not to touch your face, as our face has many holes which may allow means for the virus to infect our system.
Sources: CDC.gov, Who.int, and Nih.gov