COVID-19 UPDATE: Separating facts from hysteria

The hysteria around COVID-19 (coronavirus) has escalated—even in the week since I last addressed it. And I can’t say I’m the least bit surprised.

The virus has literally stopped the world—or at least, large parts of it—in its tracks.

It’s even reached my own doorstep. As I write this, there are now more than 140 confirmed cases in New York state, making it one of the hardest hit areas in the country so far. (Though for comparison, there are more than 18,000 cases of the flu here.)

The mayor of NYC is telling people to work from home and to stay off the crowded subway. (Which, as you probably know, is crowded for a reason—everyone here uses it, so I’m not sure how they’ll get around without it.)

Schools are cancelling classes, and New Yorkers are shutting themselves in. Barnard College, Columbia University, Yeshiva University, Fordham University, Scarsdale Public schools… all closed. (Which is fine, I suppose—though it seems to me that there should be more focus on protecting the older population… you know, the people at higher risk.)

Governor Cuomo also recently announced that New York State’s prisoners are now making hand sanitizer—to the tune of about 100,000 gallons per week—for government offices, transit locations, and the like, in an effort to circumvent price gauging and shortages. (Let me remind you, however, that washing your hands with regular soap and water is just as effective, if not more so.)

The governor also put the city of New Rochelle, and a surrounding one-mile radius, under quarantine. New Rochelle is in a county just north of NYC, and it’s the state’s largest source of COVID-19 contamination. The National Guard has also been deployed to help support the containment area.

In addition, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey just tested positive for coronavirus. (In fact, a friend of mine who had breakfast with him recently is now also under house quarantine and has been moved out of the city.)

And that’s just in New York!

In international news, Italy has shut down. Israel is putting all visitors in quarantine. Japan has declared a national state of emergency. And the U.S. government is trying to figure out an economic relief plan—all in the span of a week.

By the time you’re actually reading this, I dare say things will have gotten even crazier. And there’s no doubt in my mind that the media will report on every new development, however minor, using the most alarming headlines they can come up with.

Yet despite this never-ending news cycle, the public will likely remain short on useful facts.

It’s a shame, really. Because there’s a lot of misinformation circulating.

That’s why I thought it was important to revisit the subject and share some of the actual medical truths that we know so far. To that end, I’m interrupting my regularly scheduled Reality Health Check this week to inject some much-needed sanity into this madness.

And I’ll start first thing tomorrow, with a closer look at the real mortality risks of COVID-19. (Spoiler alert—it’s not as lethal as all this hysteria might suggest.) So as always, stay tuned…

P.S. In the meantime, I compiled all of my top immune health recommendations into one comprehensive guide. In it, you’ll learn how to take care of your immune system on a regular basis…not just during certain times of the year, or when headlines scream urgent warnings. To learn more, or to order a copy of my Complete Guide to Year-Round Immunity, click here now!

Source:

nytimes.com/2020/03/10/nyregion/coronavirus-nyc.html