Well, here
I am, sitting at my kitchen table writing this while simultaneously wondering
when I’ll be back in school and how weird it’ll be over the next month. After
all, this is uncharted territory for all of us. It seems as if every
time I turn on the news, the media has more seemingly terrifying information to
throw at us. The problem is, however, that they’re contributing to what could
potentially turn into mass hysteria. Stores are left ransacked and are unable
to keep up with consumer demand. Hospitals are running out of face masks. People
are literally stealing toilet paper from public restrooms. This, everybody, is
officially insane.
Switching
to a different lens, which my health education has graciously given me the
opportunity to speak through, is the medical perspective. Yes, there is a lot
of panic, and yes, a lot of people are sick but truly, if you strip this
pandemic down to its core, it’s nothing more than an over-hyped strain of the
common cold. In fact, a coronavirus is virtually any virus that infects the
upper respiratory tract. If you’ve ever had a cold, chances are, the virus
itself was a coronavirus. Now, I’m not here to tell you what you already know-
such as the importance of washing hands and disinfecting commonly used surfaces-
but it really is important. Over the next month, think about how different people
see things very differently. And, most importantly, stay healthy!
