Is The Panic More Damaging Than The Virus Itself?

COVID-19 panic: Far more damaging than the virus itself

Patrice Lewis 

It's been a crazy week, hasn't it? On Monday, the stock market tanked. On Tuesday, Italy shut down. On Wednesday, Seattle closed its schools. On Thursday, Denmark locked down. By Friday, it seemed most of our country was in an advanced state of panic.

Hysteria is sweeping the globe, and it's ridiculous.

Typical example: "Last week, Gov. David Ige of Hawaii declared a state of medical emergency even though there had not been one case of the coronavirus there. He recommended that everyone have a two-week supply of food. There was pandemonium at the supermarkets."

As of March 13, there have been 137,000 reported cases worldwide of this new strain of coronavirus, with 5,065 deaths. Eighty percent of the cases were in China (which, to put it in perspective, has a population of 1.5 billion).

Meanwhile, according to the CDC, during the 2018-2019 flu season there were 35 million cases of the flu just in the United States, with 34,000 deaths. From Oct. 2019 through Feb. 22, 2020, the U.S. has had 45 million cases of the flu, with 46,000 deaths.

About these shocking-but-normal statistics, we hear … crickets.

What on earth is causing such panic over COVID-19? Why can't people put things in perspective? This virus is not Ebola or bubonic plague, yet we're acting like it's a death sentence for anyone and everyone who contracts it. I know the media tends to operate on an "if it bleeds, it leads" basis, but it's driving me nuts to see the ridiculous amount of unnecessary terror being cultivated.

There is far more damage being created by the panic than by the virus itself. The damage is hitting hardest those who are most unable to take a hit – small business owners, hourly workers, the poor. Yet because the media continue to push the angst and drama, the panic worsens, and the little guy takes a huge hit. There will be millions of job losses. Did you get that? Not deaths, job losses. Millions.

Doctors everywhere – who understand the statistics about flus – are urging calm. During an interview with CBS News last week, Dr. Drew Pinsky "shredded the media for purposely causing panic in the American people which negatively affects not only individuals but also businesses. … 'What I have a problem with is the panic and the fact that businesses are getting destroyed, that people's lives are being upended, not by the virus, but by the panic. The panic must stop. And the press, they really somehow need to be held accountable because they are hurting people."

"When the radioactive dust settles from this orchestrated panic-strategy, potentially hundreds of billions will have been lost, thousands of businesses closed, and millions of employees fired," observes Douglas MacKinnon with Issue Insights. "The economic devastation ignited by the deliberate panic strategy is spreading like an unchecked wildfire. … Naturally, once it was clear that the panic was not only taking hold but spreading, craven politicians predictably jumped into the echo chamber to scream 'The Sky is Falling' for partisan or self-serving reasons."

Contrary to what politicians believe, people aren't stupid. If you're smart enough to start and run a small business, you're smart enough to realize that the most pro-business president we've ever had isn't hyping the coronavirus to decimate the economy. In fact, I suspect people are more likely to vote for a businessman as a result of this economic hack-attack than they are likely to vote for progressive policies that will hamstring all attempts to rebuild after the worst is over.

One columnist even urges those who lost their livelihood to enter into a class-action lawsuit "against those who willingly created a panic for ratings, ad revenue and political advantage."

It's clear Democrats see the coronavirus outbreak as an opportunity, not an epidemic. The yearly cases of influenza are ignored because no one can criticize Trump for them. But a new mystery disease? Woo-hoo, open the floodgates of blame!

It's a crying shame dozens of people have died from the coronavirus in America.

But it's an even bigger shame that millions are having their livelihoods disrupted, thanks to the media-fueled hysteria.





"We Can't Go On With Business As Usual": NYC Comptroller Calls For 'Citywide Shutdown' As Virus Hits City Schools

Tyler Durden

After NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said during an interview on CNN earlier that he "all options are on the table" when asked if he was considering closing city schools and shutting down restaurants and other non-essential businesses, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, the former Manhattan Borough President who defeated Elliot Spitzer in his primary for for the comptroller job a few years back, called on the Mayor's Office to move ahead with the shut down.

During a series of tweets, Stringer said the city must "act logically and strategically" and that "out of an abundance of caution, I am calling for a city shutdown."

Only essential services should remain open. No bars, restaurants, or movie theaters.

And I am again calling for NYC schools to be shut down.

We cannot go on with business as usual.

— Scott M. Stringer (@NYCComptroller) March 15, 2020

Stringer called for a city-wide shutdown on Sunday, including closing bars and restaurants, while only essential services should remain open.

He also repeated his call for the city schools to be shut down, despite the pressures on millions of parents to find child care and figure out how to react.

"We cannot go on with business as usual...This is about all of us. This is about protecting our most vulnerable. Lives are at stake and there’s no time to waste. We have to flatten the curve."