For the past few weeks, we have been hearing nothing but reports on the COVID-19, otherwise known as the “coronavirus”, the cause for the recent worldwide panic.
The World Health Organization, and the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have not recognized the Corona Virus outbreak as a pandemic. On the other hand, Some news agencies are already using the term pandemic to describe the virus.
Does the label matter?
So far, thousands of articles have been written on the coronavirus. At the end of the day, when it comes to labeling this virus, it is important to choose the label correctly, as it informs the public of the scale and the significance of the disease.
First cases of coronavirus were reported in Wuhan, China. Soon after, hundreds of people from outside of Wuhan reported having contracted the disease. Epidemic describes the outbreak of a disease which infects a large geographical area, however is still containable, geographically. As of the past few weeks, thousands of cases of coronavirus have been reported across the world. From Africa, to Americas, Europe, Mediterranean, South East Asia and Western Pacific, cases of coronavirus have been reported in over 100 countries across the globe. Pandemic on the other hand, refers to a relatively uncontainable disease, which spreads globally.
So, with over 3,000 deaths reported, transatlantically, is it safe to say coronavirus is pandemic?
Coronavirus in the US
Based on CDC, 423 total cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the United States and 23 deaths have been confirmed.
Aside from the increasing number of coronavirus victims, panic buying continues in the United States. People are heading to the grocery stores more adamant than ever to stock up on items. Isles which once were filled with hand sanitizers, tissues, paper towels, and toilet papers are now completely empty. Amid the fears of quarantine and isolation at home for weeks, people have found comfort in stocking up on household necessities.
As panic buying grows in the United States, and stores fall short of necessities, people get creative with their hand sanitizers; Check out this article!
