Mar 15

Mar 15 Love Over Fear

***disclaimer***

I AM NOT an epidemiologist, a scientist or a researcher. I am writing this because it is relevant and some of the things that I discuss should be general knowledge to anyone that reads it. If I have said anything about facts, they have been quoted and referenced for more information. Please do not use me as a reference, I am definitely not that qualified- this is all just food for thought.

It is all anyone is talking about.

It is the first thing on your mind when you wake up in the morning and the last thing on your mind as you fall asleep.

What was once a funny punch line, is now a global pandemic.

The world is panicking. People are lining up to get food and supplies, and people have even begun to steal from public institutions like hospitals and university campuses.

For some reason every person and their mother thinks that seven packages of toilet paper will be the difference between infection and immunity.

Obviously, that is not the case.

Schools, movie theatres, malls, restaurants, businesses and recreation centres are closing. People are being thrown information form every direction at an alarming rate. One second headlines are telling people that washing your hands should be a priority (which it should be) and the next they’re telling the public to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.

With everything that is going on, I find myself feeling anxious and scared.

Last month, we were going to class and parties and joking around about what seemed like another influenza. Now, students are packing their bags and fleeing for sanctuary, leaving my home away from home, a ghost town.

Maybe I will look back at this in three months and laugh about how anxious I was because by then, it will all have blown over. But maybe I won’t. No one knows what is going to happen.

It is easy to feel helpless at a time like this. But there are things that can be done to help the people around you and around the world.

Here are just a few:

1.Do NOT place blame.

Not a single person is at fault for this. Placing blame and discriminating a population because of their culture is not going to help the situation. “Out of an estimated 1.6 million unknown viruses in wildlife, we currently know of about 3,000” (Allan S. Detsky, Canadian physician and health policy expert, 2019) which means that this could have happened anywhere, to anyone, at any time. It could have been a mosquito in Northern Ontario or a cow in Peru. There is no one to blame, it is nature and it is unfamiliar- no one should be punished for the creation of this pandemic.

2. Listen to Reliable Sources

With the access to social media and a variety of news sources, it is incredibly prudent that when you’re reading an article to consider how valid their sources and references are. Now I know that this might seem like a grade seven English lesson, but seriously- Is there an author? Are they reputable? What is the website you’re reading this from? Is it reputable? Do they have quotable, reliable sources referenced in their text?

Ask yourself these questions when trying to stay informed because it is so easy to get lost in the madness. Also, if you’re hearing stories from other people, take everything that is said with a grain of salt, and when in doubt, do your research!

3. Wash your freaking hands

This cannot be said enough. WASH YOUR HANDS. Not just when you use the washroom or before you eat. Wash them EVERY time you enter or leave a building, if you take public transit, come into contact with another person, go to the grocery store or leave your home. Further, while lysol and purrel seem like the most efficient way to do this, people should instead use soap and water- it is so much more effective! Also, sanitize your electronics because wherever you go, they go, which means that their surfaces can become contaminated.

4. Do NOT go to public areas

Unless you have been living under a rock, most people know by now that COVID-19 spreads by human contact and it can live on surfaces. This means that if someone infected with COVID-19 touches the doorknob you use, or the gas pump at the gas station or sneezes and touches the handle on their grocery cart, it can be passed along to whomever touches that surface next. While it might seem like a fun idea to go out to bars and parties to celebrate the cancellation of classes, it is also adding fuel to a fire and putting people at risk.

You may be nineteen, young and healthy and not worried about getting a stuffy nose and a sore throat, but what you don’t realize is that “one case is likely to cause about two more and the doubling time is 4-5 days” (Ottawa Public Health Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches). Which means that your mother or grandfather or aunt or cousin could get it because a twenty-three year old decided to go the gym and pass it on to others. Essentially, please, unless you are low on food or are in need of something desperately, do NOT go to public areas.

5. Take it seriously

For the past few weeks we have all had our laughs and jokes about Corona. While we were laughing, we should have been preparing. Now, this is something that needs to be taken seriously. Please be attentive to the news in the days to come and be patient with each other. Stay out of public areas, wash your hands and be kind to one another.

6. Selfishness is NOT the solution

For the love of god, stop hoarding toilet paper. No one needs that much toilet paper, and if you do, then you need to go see a doctor. Stop going into hospitals and taking face masks and lysol wipes and other personal protective equipment- nurses and health care workers need those supplies to treat people- ALL people. Because while this pandemic is occurring, there are still people in the hospital for other issues such as cancer, pneumonia, surgeries, births and tests. Limiting those supplies from the people that truly need them will become an enormous problem during an already difficult situation. It is sad to see people choosing greed in a time when people should be choosing to give and help. I understand that people are concerned, but there needs to be enough for everyone, so keep that in mind and share amongst one another.

Which brings me to my final words…

7. Be there for each other

Some people may be staying calm and they may be going on with their lives as usual- if you’re one of those people that don’t think that this is a big deal (you’re wrong) good for you for staying collected. But for a lot of us, this is a time full of uncertainty and loss of control. It can cause anxiety and stress. Which is why, now more than ever, we need to come together and support one another.

Call your friends and ask them how they’re doing. Try to stay positive and surround yourself with positivity. Meditate, be creative, go for a run, read a book, don’t let yourself get consumed by the headlines and media. Because while all of this is going on, people tend to think of themselves- which, fair, your health is just as important as everyone else’s.

But don’t forget that three months ago, this was the beginning of a new decade. This was the fresh start that people were looking forward to. Students who waited four years to graduate may no longer walk across a stage and share their accomplishments with their families and friends. High school seniors may not gather in sparkling dresses and clean cut suits for proms that they dreamed of their whole lives. Couples may not have the weddings they’ve spent months planning for, and people may be bringing a life into a world with so many unanswered questions and risks. People have cancelled trips they’ve waited their lives to go on or are stranded in a foreign place unable to go home.

So please, be kind to one another and reach out to the people you care about.

We all need to be there for each other.