Love In The Time Of Corona

Well that escalated fast.

As of today, there are 216, 822 cases of coronavirus infections globally, and 8908 deaths. By the time you read this, those figures will be outdated. Schools have closed, flights cancelled and countries put on lockdown.

It is, without doubt, an incredibly scary time.

Here in the UK, as with every other country, the predictions are of rapidly increasing death tolls, unbearable burdens on the health service, and dire economic consequences.

We cannot escape the fact that life is going to look very different for all of us. But let us remember - this world has been through incredibly difficult times before and we've made it through.

We've faced the plague, the Spanish flu, two world wars, the threat of nuclear armageddon, 9/11, and various economic disasters. We'll get through this, too.

So in the interests of positivity, here are some developments I've gleaned from news reports and facebook, which I have fact-checked and which offer much-needed hope.

1. China has closed down its last emergency coronavirus hospital in Wuhan. Not enough new cases to support them. 
2. A team of hundreds of scientists has identified 50 drugs that may be effective in treating patients
3. Dutch researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center claim to have found an antibody which may help treat or prevent coronavirus.
4. A 103-year-old Chinese grandmother has made a full recovery from coronavirus after being treated for 6 days in Wuhan, China.
5. A medical centre in Cleveland, US has developed a test that gives results in  just 2 hours, not days
6. Good news from South Korea, where the number of new cases has dropped sharply.
7. Italy is hit hard, experts say, largely because they have the oldest population in Europe and their young mingle more often with the elderly.
8. About 35 companies and academic institutions are racing to create a vaccine
9. One of these - Boston-based biotech firm Moderna - is just about ready to enter human trials
10. Plasma from newly recovered patients could be used to treat others infected by coronavirus

Two more facts to hold onto: The WHO says the vast majority of people who get coronavirus (80%) experience only mild symptoms, and the survival rate is being put at between 96 and 98%. It could even be more than that, because we know not all cases of infection are being counted.

Courage, everyone. It will be a bumpy ride, but we'll get through it side by side (even if we're standing two metres apart and wearing masks)

Don't Panic!

It’s a bewildering thing.

I always thought we Brits were pretty stoic. But I went to my local supermarket today, and the shelves had been picked clean of toilet roll.

A lone assistant brought out a fresh stock of Andrex and was practically set upon by shoppers who snatched the packs up as if they held the secret to eternal life.

What the hell is happening?

Even if you have to isolate for two weeks... how many toilet rolls do you need?! (Actually I worked this out - a family of four each doing one poo and five wees a day would need 10 to 12 rolls for a fortnight.)

The comforting words on the front of the Douglas Adams classic Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy have never been more relevant.

Stop panicking.

Stop nipping down to your local supermarket and clearing the shelves of toilet paper. For a start, running out of toilet paper is not an earth-shattering calamity. There are entire countries which do not use it. When I was a kid growing up in India, we used a jug of water and air-dried our butts. I know, not terribly sophisticated, but it’s hardly the end of life as we know it.

Consider that there are thousands of people currently crammed into refugee camps without nappies, sanitary towels, toothpaste, paracetamol, Netflix… am I making the point?

Coronavirus is undoubtedly a threat to the elderly and those with other health problems. And it will place a huge burden on our health services if our efforts to 'flatten the curve' do not succeed. But fear and uncertainty is making things infinitely worse.

Hold onto the facts. The fatality rate is relatively low. Children tend to suffer milder symptoms. And the vast majority of people recover.

It's a difficult time, yes. But clearing out supermarket shelves is selfish and hysterical. Supplies will only become limited if you stockpile. Who needs ten packets of pasta?

If you absolutely DO have to panic-buy, may I suggest books? After all, when we are all forced to self-isolate in our bunkers with our secret stash of toilet roll, hand sanitizers and penne, we might enjoy some reading material.