The CoronaVirus: and other misconceptions

Hello! 

I’m so sorry that I haven’t posted in a while, I have been extremely sick with some flu that has been going around. Unsurprisingly some of my less aware coworkers made jokes about me getting the coronavirus since I am Asian. Which clearly is in no way okay. This encounter with these racist sentiments gave me the urge to speak about the issue, and hopefully educate those around me.

Coronavirus in itself is a very serious disease that has been all over the news for the past couple of weeks. The disease is similar to SARs, a virus that originated from China in the Nineties that claimed the lives of thousands of people across the globe. The coronavirus is related to SAR’s and most likely came from the same source, bats. For both diseases it most likely started from the “wet markets”, a place where livestock is stored and butchered, that have a variety of animals besides ones that you would traditionally think of as food. These locations are prime for diseases since live animals are close to dead meat of different species which allow for the transfer of disease. This cross contamination allows for the disease to mutate into one that can infect Humans. This type of environment is a prime breeding ground for new diseases. Overall, China itself is a very good place for diseases to be created and to spread. Due to the large amount of “wet markets” and the highly dense population in their cities. Furthermore, China does not have many health code laws that would restrict these kinds of environments.

The place with the highest amount of people who caught the coronavirus is in China, more specifically the Hubei area, but the virus is rapidly spreading across the globe. The fact that the disease is transmissible by touch and that it  is airborne means that it could easily become a pandemic. This is clearly distressing and concerning for the majority of us, but it is important to remember that a lot of important work is occurring as we speak to find a cure. Researches state that a cure should be available in the next couple of months which is an incredibly fast turn around for a new virus that has just developed. 

Another important note of the virus is the censorship that has been occuring in China. Due to the possibility of it affecting its economic power. As the virus has grown in it’s severity other countries are reacting by banning travel from China and banning trade with China until the virus has been eradicated or is no longer a threat. Furthermore, China has been quarantining a variety of large metropolitan cities and provinces. There has been an excessive crackdown on what information is allowed to leave China, and is able for the international community to see. A lot of videos of what life is like in coronavirus dense cities have been taken down since they don’t match with the narrative that China wants. The way the government is treating this is very questionable and some even worry that it will lead to another situation like SAR’s since back then China failed to provide people with important information leading to the deaths of thousands of people.

While this is an important issue it is important to keep in mind that those who are suffering also deserve kindness, and that hopefully things will be resolved soon.