How many of the things we’ve been hearing about coronavirus help us stay calm? If you’re anything like me, it’s the opposite: all these scary headlines and extreme precautions have you on edge, to say the least. 

It’s gotten to the point where I’m actively avoiding the news, especially around my kids as I don’t want to alarm them too much. They know there’s no school and they know why, but they don’t need to see 24-hour news coverage of death counts and other morbid scenarios.

In the spirit of keeping ourselves somewhat sane during all this craziness, I’d like to share a few things I’ve read about coronavirus that can help us keep a cool head.

Children aren’t being affected too much

This is probably the #1 fact about coronavirus that will help us mums stay calm. The fact is that the virus simply isn’t killing kids. Doctors aren’t sure why this is the case, but kids don’t seem to get sick from the infection and so far, there haven’t been any fatalities in those under the age of 10 from the virus.

In fact, many of them have symptoms so mild that they don’t even realise they’re sick – which, ironically, is why the illness is so dangerous. Kids seem perfectly healthy, they spend time with their grandparents, and their grandparents then get ill.

So yes, you definitely should keep your kids away from elderly loved ones, but it’s for the sake of the grandparents, not the kids. And the more we learn about it, the better we’re able to protect older people from it as well.

It’s not as easy to catch as you might think

While we shouldn’t let our guard down, it can be comforting to know that to be considered high risk in terms of catching coronavirus, you need to either live with or be in direct physical contact with someone who is infected, and they need to cough or sneeze on you (or you need to pick up one of their used tissues) or have face-to-face contact with you for more than 15 minutes within two metres, according to The Guardian. In other words, you’re unlikely to get it by passing someone on the street.
However, the virus can be picked up from touching contaminated surfaces, so you do need to be extra careful with hand hygiene and avoid touching your face as much as possible.

We know what it is and can test for it

When HIV first appeared back in the early 1980s, it took two years for scientists to identify it. The novel coronavirus, in contrast, was identified within just seven days of its official announcement, and its gene sequence was available three days later.

We know it’s natural and that it’s related to a virus found in bats, and we know it doesn’t mutate terribly often. A reliable test is already available, and it can easily identify people who are carrying it so they can isolate themselves from others.

Symptoms are usually mild, and people are recovering

Even if you do get coronavirus, you may not be in for a difficult road if you’re generally healthy. In fact, 81 per cent of the cases in China only caused minor illnesses. The vast majority of people are recovering from it, especially those under 65, and it can feel like the cold or a bad flu – so most of us already know what to expect if we do get it.

Not many things we’ve read about coronavirus help us stay calm, but we have to keep in mind that the news gravitates toward the most sensational headlines as that’s what attracts clicks and viewers. Although this isn’t something to be taken lightly, sometimes taking a few minutes to look at the facts can help you relax a bit. 

As always, stay safe, practice social distancing, be extremely careful & smart, listen and follow the instructions issued by our authorities – and do your best to embrace life as it is right now. Much love my friends.

Nakita xxx