Illness is Not the Only Thing the Coronavirus Brought With it
By: Madison Farnsworth
Opinion Editor
With the coronavirus breaking out in Wuhan, China it has reached many different areas across the globe.
The coronavirus is not particularly new. This specific strain, originating from Wuhan, China, has been affecting that province for some time now.
Originating from chickens, it is not unsimilar to previous diseases that were transferred from animals, like swine flu or mad cow disease
While it should be respected and treated as dangerously as most other diseases, coronavirus is used as a vessel for something worse.
One of the areas that were affected with the virus was our home, Washington. It was located in Everett on January 19th. That was the first report of the virus making its way into American borders.
Knowing that information should make the people of Washington alarmed at best. However it should come as a pre-caution to the dangers of the virus spreading more rapidly across the state.
When you hear news reports about the virus and they talk about ‘nosocomial transmission’, this means that the coronavirus was spread between patient and non-patient interactions inside hospitals.
This should be taken as a warning sign to be very cautious when entering a hospital for whatever reason.
The coronavirus has killed over 800 people in China. There have not been any reported deaths in the US. However it should be stated that the strain that has made its way into the U.S. is a completely new strain than the one found in China.
People are using the coronavirus outbreak as a way to be publicly racist and make it seem like its normal and acceptable behavior. This happens often and people will manage to blow things out of proportions due to their racism and fear.
Many of the jokes going around about the coronavirus contribute to the escalating racism and fear in society.
When someone makes a racist statement or joke in regards to a serious threat, it provides fear to other people who believe these racist things to be completely true.
While the coronavirus is a major worry within China, especially within the place where it was first found, it is not as big of an issue almost anywhere else. Even here in America.
It is hard enough for Asian Americans to live peacefully in this country. With the harsh discrimination and racist hatred they already face, they do not need to deal with the racist fear of non-Asian people thinking that they have contracted the coronavirus.
Many people, especially Americans, have been using the coronavirus to be racist and xenophobic to both Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans, whether or not these people have been to China in the past few years or not.
They do not deserve this type of treatment in any way. They are just people trying to live their own lives.
We are seeing not only disgust for these people individually, but for their culture as a whole. Which is an incredibly distasteful way to treat a entire group of people.
Many sources now have mentioned that it’s their ‘unique omnivorous food’ that caused the outbreak, or their ‘disgusting market habits’.
To blame a disease on longstanding cultural traditions is nothing but an excuse to be racist. Racism towards Chinese people has a long history in American culture.
It’s no shock to anyone that something like this happening in China would light it up once more like a spark in a drought. From the history of Seattle’s International District, to Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, racism is long prevalent towards these people.
The coronavirus has only been lethal within China. It is a dense, highly populated country, making transmission and symptom quick and deadly.
We, as Americans, should not be as scared as we are just yet. There are only a few cases of the virus within our country, and no one has yet to succumb to it. If anything, we should feel sorry towards Chinese people who have to go through all this.
It is absolutely crucial that as a nation, that we try our best to keep the virus at bay and under control. We do not need the coronavirus to become a worldwide epidemic.
What the best thing to do at this moment in order to prevent that from even happening is to work with China’s leading scientists and doctors to get to the very bottom of solving this pressing issue before it turns out to be too late.
As of lately, teams of scientists and doctors from both China and the U.S. have already looked and studied strands of the coronavirus in order to find a cure before it becomes too late to do anything and too many people lose their lives.
If a vaccine for the virus comes out in a matter of time, then it could possibly save upwards of millions of lives. It needs to be done sooner rather than later though. Or else there could be serious consequences in the near future.
A real concern that people should be currently more focused on is the flu virus, as it is taken more lives in just the past few years.
It has gotten so deadly that there are free flu shots almost anywhere you could get a shot. Yet idiotic people refuse to get shots based on false knowledge.
Remember to wash your hands thoroughly and take care of your health especially when going out in public, since the virus is said to be spreading in Washington as of late.
While the coronavirus is scary, it should not get in the way of living life to the fullest. It is important to remember to stay safe during harsh times like these.
Life may throw us under many trials and the virus seems to be one of them, but humans are resilient creatures that have been through thick and thin.
Photo Cred: Pixabay
