An outbreak of a deadly pandemic – that is a source of worry. Pre-apocalyptic panic and the failure of the supply of essential resources – that is a source of worry. The post-apocalyptic social breakdown into a mad-max dystopian survivalist nightmare – that is a source of worry. The gutter press spouting “the end is neigh” – that is also a source of worry.
But two things do worry me most about all this. The first is that anyone with a PhD in something virally related is shitting a brick. The second being that too many people I am conversing with are somewhat blase about it all.
The media are naturally alarmist while the authorities try to pacify the Populus against panic. My big fear is the consensus understanding. CoVID-19 is just a cold; it won’t affect me! OK, the latest is that for many the direct symptoms will be inconvenient at worst, but we are dealing with a little known pathogen here – not the common cold.
The perceptions seem to be that it is thousands of miles away or that it is restricted to those who do not wash their hands. I might be somewhat paranoid but none of these assurances or cognitive biases hold. Perhaps it is credo consolans, or arrogance, superiority, pride, or simply not knowing the math, but the small world hypothesis, exponential growth and modes of communication suggest that greater caution is needed when thinking about pathogens with elevated R0 and CFR factors.
No, my actual fear is that this complacency, this blase approach, is the actual threat – again we return to the problem of dying of ignorance. More to the point is that heathy individuals have less to worry about – that is if they are only thinking about themselves. But thinking that they might just be affected by the sniffles for a week or two can be considered as selfish and irresponsible. Mary Mallon, “Typhoid Mary” may have been asymptomatic, but was a carrier of the disease, infecting and causing the deaths of others. The healthy individual can still spread CoVID-19 causing an outbreak cluster and some in this cluster are likely to mortally susceptible.
To think that CoVID-19 is “just a cold” is to underestimate the wider threat. This perception also downplays the need to take preventative precautions increasing the chances that the individual may contract the virus, but further that they may pass it on. The WHO chose “CoVID-19” so as not to stigmatise anyone. The press, however, has leapt upon the term “superspreader” which socially victimises coronavirus victims further even though it is none of their fault. Perhaps though, in order to head coronavirus off at the pass, those who maintain an attitude that would put others at risk do need verbal inhibiting contingencies. It is the blase attitude (leading to risky behaviour) that needs stigmatising. Shifting that attitude would encourage hygiene and potentially save the lives of the vulnerable. Perhaps denying the dangers saying “it’s just a cold” might be reframed from bravado to a “Typhoid Mary attitude” – you can die of ignorance if you want, but don’t take others with you!
Leave a Reply