Relax, You Are Safer from the Coronavirus than You Think
This is a rather unsettling time for all of us. There is a lot of uncertainty as to what is to come in the near future. It can be easy to get overwhelmed with fear of the unknown. It can be tempting to watch the news more often than usual and to feel afraid. Instead, it is important to focus on the true facts and statistics of the coronavirus. Hopefully knowing statistics of the virus can help you to relax because you will learn that you are safer from the coronavirus than you think.
The chances of getting the coronavirus from surfaces is very low
The virus spreads mainly person to person. The chances of getting the virus from surfaces such as doorknobs, money, or cardboard is rather low. At first, there was little data about how fast and if the virus spreads by surfaces. Now that there is much more data available, we know that the chances are extremely low. There is less of a need to worry. Though, it is still important to sanitize surfaces, to wash your hands, and to take proper sanitization precautions.
Wearing a mask keeps you safe from spreading the virus
Wearing a mask does not prevent you from getting the virus, but it does prevent you from spreading the virus. You may have the virus and not even know that you are a carrier. Even if you are not feeling any symptoms, you can still pass it along to someone who is at-risk. If you are around people who are wearing masks, such as in a grocery store, then your chances of getting the virus are significantly reduced. Social distancing even without a mask is an effective way to prevent the virus. Therefore, if you wear a mask while social distancing, you are even safer.
New York City accounts for a significant chunk of the nation’s cases
An overwhelming majority of the people who have or had the coronavirus live in New York City. Of the current 1,768,461 cases in the United States, 366,763 are in New York City. That means that 21%, or 1 in 5, of the cases come from one city.
A large number of the United States’s cases and deaths are in nursing homes
Another overwhelming statistic is that 35% of all deaths and 11% of all cases occur in nursing homes. The reason that nursing homes are such a hot spot for the virus is because it spreads more quickly in confined facilities. Workers move from room to room throughout the day. Living at home is much safer than living in a nursing home with hundreds of people. If you consider the amount of cases between nursing homes and in New York City, those two criteria are a large chunk of the total cases in the nation.
The curve is flattening in the United States
Overall, the number of cases are decreasing in the United States. The precautions that people are taking are working. Sanitizing is working. Washing hands is working. Social distancing is working. Wearing masks is working. It can be easy to be fearful while following the media. It is important to remember to relax a bit because you are probably a lot safer from the coronavirus than you may think.