By Ken Foyle ‘20
Every couple of years, a new viral disease emerges.
In 2014, Ebola was on everybody’s radar, and now, in 2020, the Novel 2019-nCov Coronavirus is the most significant health concern. The public usually accentuates these diseases greatly, and the frenzy typically blows over after a few months.
Yet, as opposed to other types of coronavirus such as Middle East Respiratory System and SARS, the Novel variant is a world health crisis.
Recently, the coronavirus was considered a public health emergency because of its prominence in China, so, is the disease really something Americans should worry about?
The short answer is no. Social media intensifies the mass hysteria of diseases significantly. No ordinary citizen will, nor has the possibility to contract the disease if they do not come in contact with anyone affected.
This disease has surfaced in Chicago, but health officials are taking proper precautions in order to keep the disease away from the rest of the public.
Still, not everything about how this variant of the coronavirus spreads is known, but it is contagious and can spread through human contact. People who caught the coronavirus usually come down with a harsh fever, a bad cough, and shortness of breath, but aside from those symptoms, there are not many other ways to tell if someone has it.
Near Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, the originating place, this disease is wreaking havoc on residents.
As of now, about 20,438 people from mainland China have been affected and about 150 people from about two dozen other countries have been afflicted. At least 426 people have been killed so far.
All in all, the coronavirus is no disease to scoff at even though Americans really have nothing to worry about regarding catching the virus. The disease should blow over by next year at the latest, but China needs prayers and assistance in the meantime.
Sources
https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-02-03-20-intl-hnk/index.html
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