With the Coronavirus being heavily discussed in the media and amongst individuals in our present society, it’s natural for many to be fearful of the virus and its potential threats. In saying that, however, it is evident that much of the world’s fear of the virus stems from misconceptions and misinformation that the media has put out into the world.

For this reason, I find it important to debunk the biggest misconceptions about the virus to lessen the amount of fear one may have when thinking about its said severity and its spread throughout different countries.

To start, many believe that contracting the Coronavirus means you will automatically find yourself on your death bed–which in fact, isn’t the case at all. In an article with Business Insider, two pathologists sat down to discuss popular misconceptions about the virus and said:

“Based on the data that is coming out, it seems to be a mild type of viral infection. There’s a 2% fatality rate and about 18% to 20% that may be in, kind of in the critical condition range…And those 2% who die are the sickest. They’re in the hospital already. So even those in the hospital have probably a 98% chance of surviving.”

Another misconception that many people seem to believe as fact is that wearing a mask will protect you from contracting the virus. The thing about these masks that many do not know is that the typical doctors mask that you see the majority of the population wearing is oftentimes not worn properly which decreases its effectiveness entirely. In addition to that, there are more effective masks that healthcare workers wear which are called the N95 masks, and although these masks are meant to filter particles that are airborne with 95% efficacy, they are meant for people who are actually sick, rather than people who are fearful of becoming sick. So, instead of going out and purchasing a mask, washing your hands for at least 20 seconds and avoiding touching areas of your face and mouth are much more effective practices when it comes to decreasing your chances of contracting the virus.

Lastly,  one of the biggest misconceptions about the Coronavirus is that it is the most dangerous virus–which is not the case. Although the media has made it out to be a very frightening/deadly virus, it is much like the flu and as I mentioned before, only kills about 2% of people infected, which is much less than that of the flu. In fact, pathologists Stephen Morse and Syra Madad expressed that there are many more recoveries than there are fatalities.

“I think the official count is now 6,000 recoveries. But, you know, one of the funny things is that we don’t usually report recoveries when someone is discharged from the hospital. So all those recoveries, probably there are many more on the way as well.”

So, next time you hear something about the Coronavirus, ask yourself, “Is this fact, or is this merely a misconception that is making me more fearful than I should be?”

Sources: https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-myths-debunked-wuhan-china-2020-2