Just a couple of weeks ago, the situation with the coronavirus was truly unclear. Much depended on how developed countries in Europe, the USA, and others would be prepared to confront the virus, as it was impossible to understand the situation based solely on China's experience. As of today (March 12), it has become evident that the situation has genuinely spiraled out of control, and many countries are clearly struggling to cope with it. Just yesterday, the WHO declared the coronavirus a pandemic. Even the highly developed country that is dear to my heart, primarily for football reasons, Italy, turned out to be unprepared, and the virus is spreading rapidly across its territory. All mass events have been canceled, and shops (except for grocery stores), bars, clubs, and other establishments have been closed. The only thing missing for complete horror is zombies on the streets.
Judging by the trends, the peak of the virus's spread has long passed China (unless new outbreaks are expected), and it is about to hit Europe and other regions. I believe that the coming month (at least a month) will be a true test for Europe and a measure of its readiness. It's hard to say how long the peak will last, but I think it will be longer than in China. This is at least partly due to the mentality of the people. It was much easier to lock down China (its province or region) than to shut down democratic Europe. So, all that's left to do is grab some popcorn and watch what happens.
What is the real picture of what is happening? As of today, the United States is closing its air borders with Europe. At first, I wanted to search for and list important IT events that have been canceled due to the virus, but then I realized that almost all of them have been canceled, and it's easier to find those that haven't. Many companies are transitioning to remote work from home via the internet. The situation in the world of sports is also very grim. The World Figure Skating Championships, the final stage of the Biathlon World Cup in Oslo, the Ski Jumping World Cup stages in Russia and Norway, the "Sprint Tour" stage of cross-country skiing in Minneapolis, the races in Canmore, and the Alpine Skiing World Cup final have all been completely canceled. In tennis, tournaments in cities such as Miami, Houston, Marrakech, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, and Budapest have been canceled. The NBA and NHL have been suspended indefinitely, and football championships in Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and others have also been paused for some time. Even some matches in the Champions League and the Europa League have been temporarily canceled. Moreover, the postponement of the Olympic Games and the European Football Championship is in question. Players from Italian football giants like Inter and Juventus are in quarantine. Milan and other clubs are donating significant sums to combat the virus. I don't know about you, but in my lifetime, I have never seen so many events from various sectors being postponed or completely canceled. This at least speaks to the seriousness of the alarm.
But is everything really that bad? I think not. Despite the fact that this is a pandemic and it could potentially infect a larger number of people (for example, Merkel suggested that up to 60 percent of the global population could be infected, though I hope it doesn't come to that), this is far from the most terrifying pandemic in human history (just remember the Spanish flu, which wiped out countless lives 100 years ago).
Who is most susceptible to this virus? It seems that nature has decided to conduct a culling among the population and weed out the weakest (thankfully, it is currently failing at this). The most vulnerable are elderly people and those with weakened immune systems. The virus does not discriminate between the rich and the poor. Even ministers (for example, from Iran) and athletes (such as players from Sampdoria and Juventus) are getting infected, and the president of Mongolia was even placed in quarantine after a trip to China.
Who will suffer the most from the coronavirus, and who, on the contrary, will benefit from this hype? The global economy and countries tied to the oil industry will suffer the most (unfortunately, we are among them). Millionaires and wealthy individuals will also be affected due to currency crashes. Because of the market collapse related to the coronavirus, the world's richest people lost $444 billion in just one week. If you don't have that kind of money, there's no need to panic about it.
There are two completely opposing camps that are conveying information to us. This is, of course, about the media. The first camp is television and radio. This camp tries to downplay and hide information from us, or rather, they "don't want to say too much" to avoid inciting panic among the population. The second camp consists of internet media (all possible online portals). These are the main instigators of inflating the issue. Why do they do this? It's all about traffic, which has clearly increased because the problem of the coronavirus is interesting to everyone, and consequently, the income for such platforms has grown. To be honest, even I have been checking the news much more frequently to see if there's anything new on this topic.
Who else stands to benefit from the coronavirus? Certainly, pharmaceutical companies and developers of mobile games (this is also official information, and there's a logical explanation for it—when you're sitting at home in quarantine, what else can people do but download games and play them?) Additionally, YouTube, Instagram, and channels on other social media platforms that touch on this topic have likely seen an increase in engagement. After all, the search term "coronavirus" is currently number one in the world.
What should we expect in the coming weeks, and should we prepare for something worse? The answer is more likely "yes" than "no" (at least for Western Europe), although I personally have a neutral stance on this. Once again, this illness can be endured while on your feet; its symptoms are mostly similar to those of a common cold. Belarus is a country that has not closed its borders with anyone (except for the suspension of flights with certain countries). As of today, we have at least 21 confirmed cases, and I do not rule out the possibility that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of "sick" people walking around the city. By interacting with people on the street, in public transport, and in other public places, or sharing a water bottle at football with other guys, I can't completely exclude the possibility of having the virus myself.
What might influence the spread of the virus in our country? Our country is somewhat isolated from "Europe" in terms of having a strict border (unlike the Schengen zone, where you can freely move between other EU countries), and this may help protect against the spread of the virus from Western Europe to the East. We need to be cautious with people entering our country from other nations. Another important factor in the spread of the virus in our country could be Russia—after all, we have our own "Schengen zone" with that country. If we believe the official statistics from Russia, they seem to be handling it well. As of today, they have even suspended the entry of Italians across the border. So I hope the situation is still under control for now. And if it does escalate, it's not the kind of illness that warrants severe panic. Although, of course, no one wants to test it on themselves.
Can we protect ourselves from this? Of course, the president's words "wash your hands, don't kiss, and you won't get sick" can only evoke laughter. Nevertheless, there is some truth to it, and hygiene is indeed an important factor. I don't have a definitive opinion on whether masks help. It's more likely that they don't than do, but at least they don't "scare" people on the street and don't incite panic among the elderly. Unfortunately, many people don't even know the basic rules: for example, when people cough or sneeze, they cover their mouths with their palms or fists. With their palms, for crying out loud! Covering your mouth with your palm or fist is like trying to extinguish a fire with gasoline. Sure, you're doing a good job of stopping the spread of your germs in the air, but then you touch various objects with that hand and come into contact with other people. So, if you do cough or sneeze, do it into your shoulder or elbow. After all, you have the least contact with others using that part of your arm.
This is just my opinion, which you may not agree with, but it has the right to exist, at least because I actively follow (through the media) the spread of the virus.
Updated a few months later: only a few months have passed, but I have had to revise my views and acknowledge the presence of not just a virus that brings significant losses to the economies of many companies and countries, but a dangerous virus that takes the lives of people with weak lungs and chronic illnesses. It's unfortunate that not many have changed their perspective since the very beginning of the virus's emergence, as public acknowledgment of the problem could have helped save more lives.
