People are freaking out. Store shelves are getting emptied of toilet paper and bottled water and hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap. Events and travel plans are getting cancelled. People are being urged to stay home and avoid crowds. People are getting quarantined. Schools are closing. Proper hand-washing technique is touted over and over again. (Which is…. bizarre… to me, because I thought that people already knew how to wash their hands, especially during cold and flu season. I’m being told that that is not the case.) In short, there is wide spread panic.

Let’s take a collective breath, please.

Some numbers, for perspective:

At the time of this writing, 14 Americans have died from Coronavirus. All precious lives that should have been spared, to be sure, but in comparison:

12,000 to 30,000 Americans have died from the flu between October 1, 2019, and February 1, 2020

About 1 in 4 Americans die each year from heart disease.

About 600,000 Americans die per year from cancer.

About 130 Americans die per DAY from suicide.

About 40,000 Americans die per year in car accidents.

About 9 MILLION people, worldwide, die from hunger each year.

But let’s get back to coronavirus. According to nearly every report, the vast majority of people who will contract the virus will have mild to moderate respiratory symptoms and will recover on their own, The virus appears to be spread through droplets from the affected individuals when they sneeze, cough, and then touch things. (This is where the vigilant hand washing comes into play.) Like the flu, your best defense is keeping your immune system healthy, eating well, getting enough sleep, avoiding crowded places as much as you can, and yes, washing your hands.

Also like the flu, the coronavirus is mostly a concern for those who are elderly, already have underlying health conditions, and/or are immunocompromised in some way. I think it’s important to remember that we all know and love someone, or several someones, that fall into one or more of those categories, and that their lives have just as much meaning as ours. They shouldn’t be treated as though they are expendable, which is kind of what we’re doing when we shrug it off and say, “Oh it’s only dangerous if you’re over 70 or already sick.” Their lives matter, and for those who meet those criteria, this virus is scary! This is a great article that talks about the problem with this line of thinking. Those of us that are healthy should be caring about, and caring for, those who are not, which makes proper hygiene and precautions even more vitally important.

Another area that complicates the issue is the oft repeated advice of, “If you’re sick, stay home.” While that is good advice, it’s simply not possible for a large portion of the population. Many people don’t have sick days, or vacation time. Many people would lose their jobs if they stayed home. Many people NEED those jobs to put food on their tables and keep clothes on their backs. My husband has a good benefits plan, and could take as many sick days as he needed. He could work from home if it came to that. If his company experienced a shutdown, he would still be paid. It would be easy for me to say, from that place of privilege, “For God’s sake, stay home if you’re sick!” But many many people do not have that luxury, and that’s important for us to remember too.

All of this means that A) people with active coronavirus are going to be out and about in the community because they literally have no choice, and B) everyone, including our more at-risk loved ones, could potentially be exposed. It is not something to panic about, simply because panic never helped anything, but it is something to be aware of. It’s something to be prepared for. It’s something to be approached with the appropriate amount of caution.

In what was a first for my family, we did make a small, couple weeks’ stockpile of non-perishables, a package of toilet paper, a package of paper towels, etc. Not because we’re afraid of the coronavirus, but because the threat of shutdowns or mandatory quarantine feels increasingly real (And also, it’s never a bad idea to be prepared for any type of temporary emergency. There’s not too much of a chance of blizzards in Phoenix, but there are dust storms, there are power outages, etc.)

But I digress.

The coronavirus is real, and it’s likely not going away anytime soon. But panicking is not the answer. Taking care of our health, avoiding crowded places (if we can), staying home from work (if we can), and practicing proper and careful hygiene will go a long way towards tempering its effects, for ourselves, and especially for those who are ill.

P.S. Wash your hands.