"The Coronavirus is spreading, should we be worried?" By CiAnna R.

On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health officials announced that a fifth person in the US had been diagnosed with the Wuhan coronavirus. It was a confirmed case. The person had just returned from his travels in Wuhan to go back to his home in Maricopa County, Arizona. Around the same time, two other cases of the Coronavirus were confirmed in California. They joined the rising numbers of confirmed cases in Chicago and Seattle. As the panic rises in Wuhan over this new but deadly virus and Americans have now been subjected to it, there is one question lingering in the minds of many: Should we be afraid of the Coronavirus?
People should start with the facts. The Coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China and spread outward from its hearth killing 81 people and infecting a shocking 2,800 people. The Coronavirus is still spreading and has made it into twelve different countries including the United States. Authorities continue to reassure the public that the Coronavirus is nothing to fear, comparing it to the influenza virus. The Flu virus has killed more than 80,000 people in the United States alone as recent as 2018. Though the flu started out small and became increasingly more threatening, How can we assume that the Coronavirus won’t do the same?



The Coronavirus has a number of symptoms like: a runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat, fever, and a general  feeling of exhaustion. These symptoms may be deceiving as they are common symptoms of viruses which cause  Strep Throat and the common cold.  Although these symptoms may seem harmless, they often lead to more serious lower-respiratory tract illnesses, such as pneumonia or bronchitis. There are also two other variations of Coronavirus, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. MERS and SARS are known to lead to more severe symptoms. The symptoms are high fever, severe cough, and  shortness of breath which normally lead to pneumonia. It is so serious that every 3 to 4 patients, out of every 10, have died from MERS. Like MERS, SARS also can also cause flu like symptoms and lead to pneumonia.

The Coronavirus is not only affecting the people it infects but their economy as well. The country of China has basically shut down and has gone into “crisis mode”. The seriousness of the Coronavirus has caused multiple flights to be grounded in an attempt to prevent the spreading of the virus. Schools in Hong Kong and Wuhan, China  could be closed  until the end of February, and as many as 11 million students won’t be able to attend school in two months. China was already struggling with their GDP dropping and the spread of  the Coronavirus has worsened the trend.It has fallen from 5.6% to an estimated 0.3% just in 2020 alone. It is also no secret that the Chinese government was forced to push the Chinese New Year celebrations back three days to enable the virus’s incubation period, and limiting the  spread to anyone else. The awareness for the virus has grown throughout the country and its work places. Most companies are advising their workers to try and work from home if they can. If they are forced to go out into the virus stricken world then they must wear  masks and layers of protection. As the number of people infected by the Coronavirus grows, so does the worry of the people that can potentially get it. Should we worry about this virus? Or should we simply brush it off as something that will pass?

Works Cited

Andrew, Scottie. “What We Know about the Coronavirus Cases in the US.” CNN, Cable News Network, 27 Jan. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/01/27/health/coronavirus-in-the-us-what-we-know-trnd/index.html.

CBS News. “Coronavirus Outbreak: Death Toll Rises in China as U.S. Plans Evacuations from Wuhan.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 27 Jan. 2020, www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/china-coronavirus-outbreak-us-plans-wuhan-evacuation-death-toll-number-of-cases-rises-today/.

Chatsko, Maxx. “Coronavirus Uncertainty Spreads, but Investors Should Remain Calm.” The Motley Fool, The Motley Fool, 27 Jan. 2020, www.fool.com/investing/2020/01/27/coronavirus-uncertainty-spreads-but-investors-shou.aspx.

Woodward, Aylin. “The Flu Is a Far Bigger Threat to Most People in the US than the Wuhan Coronavirus. Here's Why.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 24 Jan. 2020, www.businessinsider.com/wuhan-coronavirus-lesser-threat-to-americans-than-flu-2020-1.

Yu, Elaine. “Coronavirus Live Updates: Wuhan Mayor Offers to Resign as Death Toll Rises.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Jan. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/world/asia/china-coronavirus.html.