When virus went viral

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When virus went viral

Sunday, 15 March 2020 | Pramod Pathak

When virus went viral

Covid-19 is the new obsession in many parts of the world today, as the fear of getting infected by the coronavirus threatens humanity for one more time. This is how humanity responds to crises in times of globalisation. The spread of the news is much faster than the spread of the virus that spreads the disease. Taking the case of China and India together, that account for 40 percent of the humanity, the enormity of the pandemic or the number that may have died due to the virus may not be ascertained. At worst, it may be a few thousand out of 7.5 billion, if the estimation is valid. Chances are, they are not. And for India, it is still around 35 as per the reports. Further, we cannot be sure whether these deaths are due to the virus or other respiratory diseases for other reasons. But look at the way the world is shouting ‘Corona, Corona’. Newspaper headlines say much is not known about the virus. Yet, they also say that India is just not prepared for the pandemic. And we are closing schools, offices and other establishments. Official seminars and business meetings are being postponed, airlines are suspending flights, social get-togethers are being cancelled, and the whole country seems to be running helter-skelter. The irony is that the problems that actually bother are getting glossed over as the country seems to be obsessed with a threat that actually may not be there. But amidst all this, commerce seems to thrive. Masks that would normally cost `5 are being sold for `500. This tribe that makes hay all the time, whether the sun shines or not, almost always scores and finds corona or something like it to thrive. Maybe, corona like viruses can be engineered to suit certain situations. Spread of corona is not as big a problem as spread of the news of the corona virus spreading. The treasure of knowledge, the range of advisories, the pseudo-medical expert tips and the videos of do’s and don’ts on the social media seem to be a bigger threat as they may create more cases of paranoia than respiratory infections. There actually are people turning paranoid, washing their hands obsessively, and wearing the masks religiously. Interestingly, it is still not clear whether those masks can stop the spread of virus, or that safe distance of three feet can keep the micro-organism at bay. Something like showing the red rag to the bull although science says bulls are color blind. But that is how it is. People know the truth, yet are not willing to believe it. Our gullibility is more dangerous than corona virus that seems to be a threat in the present times. The gullibility may keep threatening us for all times in the name of something or the other. It was bird flu few years ago. Great country with great people who press the panic button at the slightest pretext. There was a time when the whole country made a beeline to offer milk to Lord Ganesh and watch him actually consume it. We need more investments in developing scientific temper than science per se because science cannot flourish where there is no scientific temper. The corona scare is temporary, but the mass hysteria threat is permanent. More so, in a country where people are wont to jump to conclusions without verifying the hypothesis. The hysterical temper is the first outcome of paranoid societies.

Pathak is a professor of management, writer, and an acclaimed public speaker. He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com  

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