Megan Snow ‘20
Editor in Chief
On December 31, 2019, the World Health Organization received its first report of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Early cases of the illness were thought to be pneumonia, but officials later determined animals as the source. As more and more cases of the coronavirus were reported in Wuhan and around the world, it gained media attention and became an issue of global concern. The World Health Organization recently declared it to be a public health emergency. Although the coronavirus seems frightening, here are some reasons why you shouldn’t be extremely worried:
- The chance of catching the flu is way higher than catching the coronavirus. The CDC estimates that there have been about 12,000-30,000 flu deaths from October 2019 to February 2020 in the United States, whereas about 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S.
- The U.S. has very strict quarantine procedures compared to other countries. Individuals that have been traveling will be screened for the virus and quarantined, if need be. Everything is overseen by the Centers for Disease Control, and have handled other viruses very well in the past.
- The U.S. currently has a travel ban on individuals who have traveled to China in the past two weeks. This has been a controversial policy; however, it comes from good intentions: keeping U.S. citizens safe from the virus.
The U.S. has always done a great job handling viruses and diseases and protecting its citizens. Although the coronavirus shouldn’t be a big concern right now, that doesn’t mean that it won’t get worse. It’s important to take precautions and read updates from the CDC, which is the organization with the most reliable and up-to-date information.
