If We Are Still Alive!

So Coronavirus is alive and well at my house, at least the fear of it is, it has been since it came out. Last week I asked my mom if she was going to vote in the primary election and her response was, “If we are still alive. Do you know what is going on with Coronavirus?” She was dead serious. 

The virus is not just screwing with the stock market, and the food markets, apparently toilet paper and hand soap are running out, but it is screwing with people’s sanity. 

I was going to brunch this weekend and my dad called me and said that the news warned everyone to not go into crowds and shows and big games, and don’t go to brunch. He actually said that. Brunch can cause Coronavirus, people. Did you know that? I didn’t tell them that since the scare I have been to two public shows, with a lot of people and I’m still disease-free.

I don't tell them when I'm going out in public anymore, they are worried enough that I work at a college. Every time I get back from work my dad asks me, "Is everything OK? You don't have a cough or anything? No kids were coughing or sneezing around you?" They have actually caused me to become paranoid when someone does cough or sneeze. It's getting crazy.

My parents haven’t left the house for days, they are taking the notice from the CDC for elderly people to stay home very seriously. They are taking this all very seriously. I stayed at my sister’s place when she was out of town for a few days and when I came back home I sneezed. My mom screamed that I needed to keep kleenex with me, she handed me five kleenexes. I told her she was killing the environment, she said I was going to kill her. 

I told her that I do not have Coronavirus. Her response was, “You have come from outside, I don’t know what you have. It takes 2 to 14 days for the virus to show.” I sneezed people. I sneezed. 

My sister went to Aruba and got the flu, we did not tell my parents, because they would have panicked. How did she know it wasn’t Coronavirus? Was she going to die? Was she going to give it to all of us? The possibilities are endless. 

My dad told me the other day, “I am someone with risk factors, I have a heart condition, if I get it, I’m done.” That’s not so far from the truth, but the fact is that he is more likely to die of the flu. Around 12,000 people have died from the flu in the U.S. in 2019, a handful of people in the U.S. have died from Coronavirus this year. 

The media is causing people to panic, that is how they get ratings. That is how they get people to switch on the news 24-hours a day. This is Breaking News! But the truth is, you are more likely to get struck by lightning than die of the Coronavirus. You are probably also more likely to kill yourself than die of this disease. 

Yes, you should wash your hands often, even if there is no virus running around rampant. You should do this anyways, all the time. You should also probably shower, I mean if we are doing public service announcements. You should not, however, panic. Like my parents who watch CNN all day on the latest updates about people stuck on cruises and how Italy has shut down. All this negative media coverage is only creating negativity. 

I’m sure Coronavirus is dangerous. I’m pretty sure it’s not going to cause the end of the world as we know it. My parents are considering whether or not they will vote in the Primary Election today, depending on what the news says about the spread of this disease. I hope people will not hesitate to vote because they are worried about Coronavirus, it will just be one more excuse for Americans to not vote. 

Don’t let this also be an excuse to show hate towards Asian people, or even people who are legitimately sick with a cold or the flu. People have also posted that more people die by suicide every day than are dying of Coronavirus. Perhaps when we think of washing the germs away from our hands, we should also think of washing away the negativity we are inflicting on others. Smile more instead of stocking up on toilet paper. 

You are most likely not going to die of Coronavirus. Think about the other things you are doing, like smoking, drinking all the time, and eating Mcdonalds, that are actually going to cause your death. You are most likely going to be the cause of your own death, not Coronavirus.

nina