As your friendly, neighbourhood hypochondriac, words like “pandemic,” “outbreak,” and “climbing death toll” that currently saturate global headlines ensure that my sleep schedule no longer exists. After a week and a half of carefully scrutinizing news articles, social media posts, and announcements from health authorities, I cannot say I fear the new coronavirus more than I’m afraid of the willingness to devolve into racist vitriol with a little support from mob hysteria. I won’t patronize your fears with the classic reminder that the flu kills more people a year than the coronavirus has even infected — it’s true, but the flu hasn’t initiated a global panic.
As of Jan. 31, there are only four confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Canada — three in Ontario and one in British Columbia. The patients are recovering, isolated, and as public health officials insist, the risk of a public outbreak remains low. The majority of those infected are in China, but fear of a North American pandemic is paramount after the devastating loss experienced during the SARS outbreak.
The SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus first appeared in late 2002 and reached Canada by 2003, where 44 people died out of about 375 probable infections. Most of these deaths occurred in Ontario, and it was primarily health-care workers who fell ill.
But health officials in Canada seem confident that they’re better prepared this time around. One of the notable differences between the SARS outbreak and the novel coronavirus is global awareness of the outbreaks. In November 2002, Chinese officials didn’t report their discovery of the infection, instead engaging in acts to cover up that anything was wrong until relenting in February 2003, when they submitted a report to WHO. Thanks in part to social media and public pressure, the Chinese government came forward much sooner for the novel coronavirus, allowing other nations to prepare and properly monitor the situation.
We’ve also improved communication between provinces, which was abysmally lacking during the 2003 outbreak. There are now measures in place for provinces to share information and protocol during infectious outbreaks, and we can thank SARS for the creation of the Public Health Agency of Canada, which is actively providing updates on the current novel coronavirus.
On one hand, we’re grateful for the heads up; on the other, clickbait hysteria-fuelled headlines are going to ruin the stomachs of every health-anxious soul out there.
What’s worrying about the novel coronavirus is that not only does it spread through human transmission, it starts to spread before symptoms have even developed, which is why many ill patients weren’t diagnosed until days after leaving Wuhan. Some scientists speculate that the outbreak started from infected wild meat sold in a Wuhan market, though they haven’t been able to confirm their suspicions at this time.
As for treatment, bacterial infections allow for treatment with antibiotics, but because the coronavirus is viral, treatment is limited to supportive measures that help to relieve symptoms — there is no medicine that can actively combat the virus. However, companies are already working on developing vaccines; the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre is currently trying to develop its own vaccine, though human testing won’t be available until 2021.
My fears of contracting the novel coronavirus have lessened considerably, and staying aware of reliable, rational updates helps with that. I deeply sympathize with anyone who shares my paranoia, but I caution against believing any account of the virus that’s delivered via social media or unreputable “news” sites. There are ways to lessen your risk of exposure from any virus: wash your hands often, sanitize public areas before engaging with them, and avoid touching your face.
