How the Fear of Covid-19 Parallels the Public's Experience.
How the Fear of Covid-19 Parallels the Public's Experience.
By Sylvan Linker-Sanvold
Originally Published: November 15th, 2020
Concern revolving around the virus known as Covid-19 has fluctuated greatly since it’s first appearance in the United States early in 2020. As of November 8th, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that the total number of Americans infected with COVID-19 is 9,808,411. with the death count totalling in at 236,547 this pushes the case-death percentage to 2.41% . As a fall wave has started to take hold in many places in the nation, the concern has begun to reassert itself as communities all over the United States suffer from an exaggerated sense of fear revolving around the intensity of the virus.
An article published by the CDC in 2019 and updated in 2020 titled “Stop the spread of rumors” recognizes the amount of misinformation being spread and the lack of consistent information about Covid that exists inside the American home. The article explains the importance of educating yourself using trustworthy sources.
The article continues by listing most of the basic questions about the virus and addressing some of the more prominent misunderstandings and assumptions. A quote from the article reads “Fear and anxiety about COVID-19 can cause people to avoid or reject others even though they are not at risk for spreading the virus.” The general public is facing a crisis stemming both from the lack of information about Covid-19 as well as information being spread that lacks evidence to support it. All of this has the potential to make fear and anxiety more prominent in patients with coronavirus symptoms.
The article goes on to claim “For most people, the immediate risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to be low.” This suggests the motivation behind the article was to help reduce the panic that follows the spread of misinformation and lack of information altogether. Everyone has a right to be concerned and be prepared, however it’s important honest information be disseminated for the sake of people who should really be afraid of this virus and for the mental sake of people putting panic in place of preparation.
So what are people afraid of exactly? How do those fears compare to their personal experiences with both the symptoms of the virus, and the way the virus affects their daily lives? An article written by the Harvard Gazette titled “Battling The Pandemic Of Misinformation” quotes Kaslsomayajula Vlswanath, the professor of health communications at Harvard University as saying “People are hungry for information, hungry for certitude, and when there is a lack of consensus-oriented information and when everything is being contested in public, that creates confusion among people.”
A 19-year-old college student in Florida I interviewed contracted the virus in the late spring, he wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of his health. Prior to contracting the virus he had been an otherwise healthy individual but developed COVID-19 symptoms after coming home from a family vacation. The student said that prior to contracting the virus he “knew that it was only going to affect someone who was really young, with a weakened immune system or really old. The information I received came mostly from my father who actually helped conduct Covid testing for a little bit. And my mother who was treating Covid patients for a while. At first I did try to use cdc.gov but eventually I just started depending on the primary sources that my father and mother provided.”
“I had a lot of information about the symptoms being insanely intense, and that had an affect on how scared I was when I developed symptoms. The beliefs I had actually came from other people who had Covid and social media was a huge contributor to the false information about the intensity of symptoms I received that managed to scare me.”
The student went on to speak about how his understanding of the virus was influenced by his actual experience with it. He said “In a way, the idea that changed for me was the fact that not every case was going to be the same as I thought originally. I was so convinced that I was going to experience the worst possible symptoms no matter what.” The experience in his case included a minor fever for a few days and brief intense muscle pain. He claims these symptoms did not match the intensity level he believed they would.
I am an 18-year old living in The Dalles, Oregon. I contracted COVID in June of 2020. My worst Covid symptom was the fear and anxiety that came when I unexpectedly came down with the virus. The accumulation of intense doom-impending headlines that littered my social media every time I was active, managed to convince me that the mild case of COVID-19 simply did not exist. The lack of updated information on verified websites only provided further uncertainty. In my case I had to seek videos online of other people claiming to have similar experiences and sharing their perspective on the information they received, and how it compared to what they were experiencing to find out that my own experience was not out of the ordinary.
The CDC reports that 81% Covid cases are mild or not severe. When I found out my mild Covid experience was the most common experience of those that contracted the virus, I was comforted. This comfort was followed by a concern for all of the energy and fear I spent believing I was going to die from it..
Jennifer Fuentes is a 49-year-old woman living in Trout Lake, Washington. Ms. Fuentes was diagnosed with leukemia a few months after the pandemic hit the United States and, therefore, would be at greater risk of serious health concerns were she to contract the virus. Mrs. Feuntes states “My diagnosis was a month later, and I think what became different was that there was an added fear. I mean, no way I could have no immune system and yet fight COVID-19 too, right? I think how it was different for my family versus others is I saw a lot of people lift their precautions over time, and start hanging out with friends and letting their kids do so. So many pictures of friends on social media without masks and taking selfies with other folks. But we didn't ever let up. My kids just went back to school a couple of weeks ago and this is their first time really seeing friends in several months.” Mrs. Fuentes went on to say: “We were already fearful and careful but maybe my diagnosis made us more vigilant in our execution of the precautions we take. I know my husband felt extra protective of me. Maybe since the truth is that we were always cautious and remained so, it is more that our stress level increased by 100. It really is stressful.
While the percentage of mild cases in the U.S overwhelm the severe ones, there is still a large population of people here in the states who are at major risk of suffering a more severe case. It’s a part of all of our responsibility to seek honest information and be diligent about keeping the virus from spreading.
The way people search for information is fairly similar case to case. Therefore the volume of accurate information that is produced is directly linked to the amount of misinformation that is discovered. People organically seek confirmation or rebuttal when it comes to information that worries them, especially if it regards symptoms they are experiencing. The potential solution to the spread of misinformation seems to have an unclear answer. A quote from the CDC.gov website that seems to carry the best current solution reads “Know the facts to help reduce stress.”
Knowing the facts about COVID-19 and stopping the spread of rumors can help reduce stress and stigma. Understanding the risk to yourself and people you care about can help you connect with others and make an outbreak less stressful.
