Do you think people are overreacting about the Coronavirus?

[Lex Luthor]

It originated in China and hit Italy pretty badly. It's infected people from many countries so far.

The death rate isn't too bad judging the number of infected to the number who died, but it's still something considering there have been over 1,000 deaths in China and Italy. It mainly affects old people and people with low immune systems. What people don't seem to understand is that, even though you're not at risk, you can infect someone who is.

There's also been a lot of panic buying.

I'm wondering if you think coronavirus deserves to be such a big deal or not. Do you think people are overreacting over it or should it be passed off like swine flu and other diseases?

[Juneberry]

I do think it's a serious condition, but I also feel the chaos it's brought is far overdone comparatively. Living like hermits isn't going to help protect us as much as we'd like. I've seen from a third person view just how much the chaos is being instilled in normally calm people's lives. My neighbor had to teach her first graders to use the computer system they used for school work so that they could go home, explain it vaguely to their parents, and use it for weeks. But seriously... People need to leave the house eventually. Just have good hygiene habits and you should be better off than you think.

[Lex Luthor]

Living like hermits isn't going to help protect us as much as we'd like.

But it does slow down the infection rate. There's a 1-14 day incubation period before you show symptoms, so people who were exposed can wait it out at home and find out if they're tested as positive. If they've been tested as positive, they can remain at home and get the treatment they need.

[Aeowulf]

I get the social distancing, but the media has caused chaos and panic. This should have been a controlled and orderly action, but it was not handled the right way at all.

[MofaMF]

Of course the government are panicking because many in the 'west' have cut nursing funding in many different countries and they simply don't enough hospitals, staff and equipment to deal with something like this. It's not the virus itself but if your hospital is working under more capacity then people aren't getting treated for other illnesses. So it's not the mortality rate of the virus but the population, which is going rise dramatically if people don't help stop the spread.

Recently travelling back from Asia, they were dealing with it fantastically even back in December. They threw up pre-built units to be used as hospitals and stocked up on beds and equipment rather quickly - hence the mortality rate being very low, which the west we are seeing increase quite a bit already.

[CherryBlossom]

Yes, I think be are overreacting about the Coronavirus.

[Megan]

Honestly initially I thought it was just a more serious flu, but I don't think that anymore obviously. I think the measures they're taking are understandable. Honestly I get more annoyed when people don't take it seriously. Like making the wearing masks a political thing. Grow up, wear it if you're going to be in public. It helps slow the spread. I mean no one likes this stuff, including me.

[CherryBlossom]

There is s store where I live that when my mother went over there the other day they told that she had put on mask before coming in or she wasn't allowed inside the store. My husband, my mother and I have trouble breathing in masks so I don't think that should make people who have trouble breathing in them but some places don't see it that way.