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Coronapocalypse 101
Over the past few weeks, coronavirus has evolved from a distant threat into something that seems inescapable. Our notifications are full of the words “COVID-19” and “pandemic.” Our feeds are full of horrifying stories and frightening numbers. There is no toilet paper to be found.
As an epidemiology junkie, I’ve been following the news since COVID-19 was first announced, just I’ve done for every epidemic of the past two decades. This time, the disease has reached pandemic levels, and I’ve quickly realized that people are very resistant to this idea.
I’ve been facing an odd mix of deniers who are convinced that it’s all a cash grab and doomsayers who hoard all the toilet paper. The rest of us don’t know what to do, say, or think. We want to make things better, to hold onto our normal lives, but we also don’t want to get the virus — or spread it on to someone else.
The apocalypse has arrived. Whether or not it’s justified, the world will never again be the same.
Those of us who aren’t outright denying the pandemic’s threat will be afraid to touch strangers or travel to new places. The deniers will chant “I told you so” when our social distancing efforts pay off in a few months or so. The doomsayers will bleakly emerge from their bunkers and wonder why the world didn’t end.
