Coronavirus: The Media Is Not Helping

by Phoebe Clark

Everyone is aware of the recent pandemic that has spread around the world, the Coronavirus. Believed to have originated at a market where dead and live animals are sold and eaten (including the critically endangered Pangolins, a chinese delicacy that sells for thousands on the black market) in Wuhan, this deadly virus has spread worldwide due, in part, to flights and cruise ships sailing around the world, and to large gatherings of people, such as international conferences, because Covid-19 is spread respiratorially. 

However, ever since the early stages of the outbreak, the media have been dramatically and obsessively reporting about it n a way that has caused people to be anxious and worry about it, even though the figures pose no major cause of concern to most people; the likelihood of someone coming into contact with an infected person is still extremely unlikely in the UK in particular and across the globe in general. Out of the nearly-70 million people living in the UK, 273 have been confirmed with the virus (as of the time of writing, on 8th March), which is roughly 0.002942%.

However, too many people who are nowhere near anyone infected are already paranoid about speaking with other people and getting breathed on and about touching surfaces, which, at this stage, seems to me a waste of time and effort, when they could be focusing on their own lives rather than obsessively looking up the latest stats on reported coronavirus incidents on their social devices every few seconds. To keep things in perspective, out of the 273 people in the UK reported as having the coronavirus, just 2 people have died, both of them with pre-existing health issues and relatively elderly, therefore with a low immune system. 

Of course, if the virus moves geographically closer to someone or if they have come into contact with someone infected, then it certainly does become an issue worth spending valuable time on. However, even then, it is important not to panic; instead, calmly follow the advice presented by your local GP or NHS. I do recognise and appreciate that people do need to be kept informed about the whereabouts of the infection, symptoms and how to minimise the risk of infection,

The media, at present, is more of a hindrance than a help because not only do they over-report every incident, but use irresponsibly hyperbolic language so as to get people to read their stories; anxiety sells newspapers and increases the number of clicks on social media: with headlines like ‘ONE PERSON DEAD’ and ‘THE MODERN DAY PLAGUE’ used to entice readers and make them scared.

In a world already plagued with anxiety this has worrying implications for mental health. 19.7% of people in the UK suffer from depression, a mental health issue that can be detrimental to the individual, and this area is still not getting the funding it needs from the NHS or charities like CAMS. Yet, the NHS are taking huge precautions to try to combat the future of Covid-19 such as asking retired nurses and doctors to come back into employment to try and cope with the outbreak. Not only does the media coverage of the coronavirus raise questions about their irresponsibility regarding mental health, but the spending on Covid-19 could make us ask why the Government is not prepared to put the same kind of funding into mental health treatment which could also be considered a national (and international) emergency.