Be concerned - but don’t let Coronavirus rule your life

NEWS ABOUT the Coronavirus is everywhere in the media. It is an airborne spread virus that is spread in a similar way to colds and flu. It is very contagious and can be spread by contact with anything that the virus is on, having found its way there from an infected person’s cough or sneeze. This is why news bulletins show you attempts to decontaminate places and facilities by people wearing protection suits. Understandably, people are getting concerned.

However, many people are more than just concerned and develop Coronavirus fear. The thing is to try to adopt a balanced perspective. You need to get the happy and sensible medium between apathy and alarm. Apathy is when you think there is no point in doing anything. Alarm is when you fear going anywhere, touching anything or being near anyone with a cold or a cough.

If you find yourself becoming excessively anxious there are several strategies that can help. Firstly, don’t inflate the risks. This means don’t let your mind jump to conclusions and magnify the risk of it happening to you. As far as we know, Coronavirus’s death rate is of the order of two per cent.

The vast majority of people who get it recover, just as they do from a cold or flu. It is mainly people with reduced immunity or pre-existent medical conditions who are more at risk of developing the pneumonia.

Secondly, don’t immerse yourself in the news, spending too much time reading about the virus and about the spread elsewhere. Aim at being sensibly informed and especially watch out for reading too much on social media. Steer clear of alarming posts about coronavirus.

Take sensible hygiene precautions. Wash your hands, keep your hands away from your mouth and carry a hand sanitizer gel when you go out. If you develop a cold or cough then cover your mouth and nose whenever you cough or sneeze and if you are feeling ill, then stay at home. Don’t spread it around.

Essentially, anxiety tends to lessen when you do something and take selfresponsibility. Be concerned, but don’t panic. If you have not been to a highly infected area then your chances of becoming infected are at this time pretty low if you are taking sensible precautions. If the situation changes the health authorities will give appropriate warnings.