The social media continues to be full of the news of Coronavirus, and what are people forwarding through WhatsApp? COVID-19 and Coronavirus and with it the fear of disease and death!
Think about it – if this virus had not killed over 4,000 people in China, if it had stopped at fever and a cough, would fear envelop the world? It was the “Fear of Death” that swept through nations, not sparing any continent barring Antarctica which is uninhabited.
As of today, the world has seen the virus spread to over 175 countries. As on date, over two million people have been infected. But unlike the Spanish flu of 1918, the fatality rate of this disease is limited. Further, it is restricted mostly to the elderly, and especially to those over the age of 60 or 70. By and large, the working population that is below 60 years does not face the danger of death, unless they have a weak immune system or an underlying health condition. Knowing these facts, why did fear paralyze the economy of so many nations?
It is not just India where nearly 800 people have died after a month-long complete lockdown of the country, but at the same time, most of Europe is shut down. Italy had declared a lockdown of several weeks and the world has followed including Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, the UK,