Corona Nuts

If taken by the continuous headlines, it seems the Coronavirus has taken all of us by storm and the apocalypse is near as we are all doomed.

It is currently present in 40 countries and according to the latest fear selling news, it has killed more than 2,000 people and counting. However, according to CDC, the number of deaths caused by the flu between 2019/2020 is in the range of 14,000, with more than 250,000 cases of people being hospitalised. But since it is a normal disease unworthy of headlines, it falls down into media oblivion.

Another example of pure mass histeria is the millions in loss that, according to The Evening Standard, the makers of the Corona beer are now suffering. the actual number is £132 millions. They predict to lose another 10% in the next quarter. One would think that this is due to more than just the similarity of the name.

In yet another Coronavirus twist, local sales are up due to the decrease in goods being imported from China. According to the BBC, a factory in Leicester that produces knitwear and cardigans has seen orders and inquires go up after a long period of low manufacture due to the low prices that the Chinese markets usually have.

The impact that the spread of headlines such as "Coronavirus is present in 50 countries and is only getting worse" in the Economist to the "Most Coronavirus cases are mild" in the New York Times, is severe and a shoddy job for real information that is greatly needed and possibly appreciated.

But no, fear sells and life is fast.