The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer.
As a former health-care executive, I’ve experienced panic before over unknown viruses similar to what’s going on with the coronavirus today. In my career, Legionnaires’ disease, HIV/AIDS, SARS, swine flu, and various flu outbreaks including this year with the H3N2 flu strain have all caused concern, bordering on panic. Each time, something new and the fear of the unknown has driven people to irrational behaviors. How else can you explain Costco’s report that people are stockpiling food, water and even toilet paper? Toilet paper would only make sense if this was cholera — but it’s not.
As a society we like to think we are in control of our lives, our careers, our happiness. The unknown pushes us to feel powerless, and that’s uncomfortable for most people. In the face of the unknown we often overreact and lose perspective. I’m afraid we are seeing these behaviors again with the coronavirus.
You wouldn’t know it from press reports that this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, estimates that over 29 million people in the U.S. have been infected by the flu this year, causing over 16,000 deaths. They also report that over 40,000 people have died from gunshots and another 116,00 have been injured in one year (up 37%). As of March 10, 22 people have died in our country and an estimated 617 more have been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus.
Granted, we don’t know how many people are walking around with the virus without showing any signs of illness. Washing your hands frequently and covering your mouth or nose when coughing or sneezing seem like reasonable (and courteous) preventive measures. With a recovery rate of 98%, I’ll take my chances that the coronavirus will not kill me or my loved ones.
I can’t say the same about gun violence. I don’t have a clue what preventive measures to take to protect myself and my family. By every definition, gun violence is an epidemic in our society. A recent report from the Congressional Joint Economic Committee estimates that gun violence costs the U.S. over $229 billion in lost wages and medical costs.
That does not include the mental health costs of those affected by gun violence — family members, loved ones, friends and co-workers. Imagine if that money went toward covering people without health-care insurance, or toward continuing to find ways to prevent and treat preventable illnesses. Or reduce gun violence.
It doesn’t help that we see various health-care providers wearing hazmat suits in hospitals. Those are fear-inducing images. But let’s be realistic, few of us will die from the coronavirus. Those most at risk are individuals who are elderly or have some other underlying disease. We may contract the virus, but for the great majority of us, the symptoms will be mild and will pass without any treatment.
Let’s all take a breath and put things in perspective. Fear will only raise our blood pressure, and that’s never healthy. In the meantime, I’ll stop hugging loved ones and shaking people’s hands for a while.
After a hike today I’ll open a cold Corona beer and shake my head at a recent report that 38% of Americans will not drink Corona beer “under any circumstances” (CBS News).
I feel sorry for people acting like lemmings as they run around dealing with the coronavirus. It’s another sad commentary about our priorities and lack of perspective about immediate threats to our health and well being.
