Pandemic and Paranoia vs. Fearing, Caring & Sharing

Mar 21, 2020 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

The news has been received — Yes, the coronavirus is here. Fear not. But mass panic is also here – Fear.
As a health care professional for more than four decades, there is very little to which I have not been exposed in my profession – HIV, whooping cough, tuberculosis, shingles, measles, hepatitis, diphtheria. And with the noteworthy exception of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), very little has left me feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed or straight-out scared.
I am not overly afraid of COVID-19. Instead, I am deeply concerned about the ramifications of a smacking new infectious germ that has disseminated the world over, and still continues to gain ground and find new footing and strongholds in different soil. I am justifiably concerned for the welfare of the elderly, those in frail health or incapacitated who stand to suffer the most, and also unjustly and inordinately, at the hands of this new scourge. Yet still I fear not.
The truth be revealed, what scares me the most is the sudden loss of human reasoning, and the tsunami of fear that has instigated the masses of society into a hypnotic spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could adequately fill an air raid shelter in a post-apocalyptic world.
I am scared of the masks that are being stolen from hospitals and clinics where they are most needed for frontline health care providers, being worn instead in malls, grocery stores, and even in churches, bolstering even more fear and suspicion of others.
I am scared that our hospitals will be overwhelmed with anyone who thinks they “probably don’t have it, but might as well get checked out, because you just never know” and those with cardiac failure, emphysema, pneumonia and stroke will pay the price for overfilled Emergency waiting rooms with only so many doctors and nurses to assess.
I am scared that these same epidemic fears will limit trade, harm partnerships in multiple sectors – business and otherwise – and ultimately culminate in a global recession.
Most of all, I am scared about what message we are conveying to our kids when faced with a threat. Instead of reasoning, rationality, open-mindedness and altruism, we are instead telling them to panic, be fearful, suspicious, reactionary and self-interested. According to the media, and continuing health reports, COVID-19 is nowhere near over. At some point, it will be coming to a city, a hospital, a friend, even a family member near you. Expect it. Stop waiting to be further surprised. A fact to be considered is that the virus itself will not likely do much harm when it arrives. But our own displayed behaviours and the “fight for yourself above all else” attitude could prove catastrophic.
I beseech you all – For the good of all, please temper fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education. This is a golden opportunity to learn a great deal about health hygiene and how to limit the spread of innumerable transmissible diseases in our society.
Let us confront this challenge together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and above all, a steadfast effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge as opposed to conjecture, speculation and catastrophising. Facts not fear. Clean hands. Open hearts. Our children will thank us for it. Do not forget that they are looking on. They will recall a time not so long gone when suddenly the habits of an entire society were turned upside down, and adults were seen behaving like clowns.
Yvonne Sam

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