The Fear of the Unknown - Coronavirus Edition

We survived the coronavirus, thank God! A few weeks back my sister was tested positive after they had an outbreak at her work and everyone in my family (except for my Mum, the medical wonder), caught it. Even our four-month-old daughter, Lily. 

Thankfully, we all only had mild cases, actually like a mild cold. Lily had a high temperature for one day and threw up a few times, but that was it. To be honest, I've had colds that were worse than that, but the mental impact of the two weeks were indescribable for me. 

I never really feared the coronavirus. I took it seriously and am an advocate for the measures taken to prevent it from spreading; but it never really touched my life personally and I didn't expect it to be a big deal for me. 
Until it suddenly was very personal. I had actual panic attacks, being completely catatonic that I or Lily might die, up to the point where I was convinced that would actually happen. Even after she was brought to the children's hospital to have her checked through (just as a precaution), I was convinced she would have to die - or I would and leave her alone. 

I wouldn't have expected such a strong mental reaction but when I thought about it, my fear was so much out of perspective due to the coverage the virus has. Only when I started doing research on how likely it would actually be for me to die did I realise it was rather an unlikely thing to happen. 
In fact, the chance of dying in a car crash is apparently infinitesimally higher and we drive around every day. 

This is not to say we shouldn't take the virus seriously, please don't interpret it as that. But when you  hear the death rates of a cause on a daily basis, it begins to feel ubiquitous and inevitable. It's like when terror attacks happen and suddenly you feel like you'll definitely die whenever you're in a crowded space or public transport, even though the actual risk is well below zero. 

I started thinking about why there is so much fear and when the mass testing in Austria happened on the last weekend, I began to understand why. Infuriatingly, many people decided to not take part in the voluntary, country-wide testing scheme that was part of a measure to bring the country a sense of normalcy. I cannot fathom why people wouldn't take part in a free test that would help the government and medical institutions to get things back on track - especially when people have been whining and whinging for the better part of the year they wish everything would go back to normal. Amidst such low motivations to aid anyone except for yourself and put aside your selfishness for a few hours, it is understandable that working with fear is the only method left. 

We don't live in regimental countries like China where the president just has to order everyone be tested and people do so - and I am quite glad about that, to be frank. However, if people can do everything voluntarily and too many people are selfish gits, making them believe we're all on the verge of dying is a good way to keep them in check. 

I am appalled by how little some are willing to concede - of their time and their "personal freedom" - to aid their community and make it better for everyone, not just themselves. This may sound naive, but I am sure if people had been part of the solutions and not the problem, we could live far less encumbered by the virus than we do now. 

Oh, and for those who want the "responsibility with the people"...we  had that all summer and see how that turned out. My sister-in-law's boyfriend just lost his grandfather to coronavirus and to him that matters greatly - even though it was "just" an old person, as some might cruelly suggest. ​