Shaila Ahmed
The COVID-19 pandemic has flooded people around the globe with information. There are an estimated 7.3 billion people that populate the earth. It can be safely said that much of this population has come to know about the pandemic in one way or the other, either by word of mouth or print or digital media.
Which information is authentic? Of course, you cannot rely on word of mouth and you have to accept it with a grain of salt. On the other hand, many people rely on print media such as The Economist, TIME magazine, National Geographic, New Yorker, Newsweek…to name only five. Still others rely on The Guardian, The New York Times, and Financial Times.
People also depend on the BBC and CNN for TV coverage. Researchers visit CDC and Google Scholar for their data, to name two sources. These are world-wide sources of information. BBC also has radio to relay information globally. Then, there are the print, digital media and radio programs that provide news on the pandemic in local geographical regions.
What does some of this information look like? The factual data suggests that the source of the COVID-19 virus is a bat (or pangolin). It originated in China in Nov/Dec 2019. Two other related viruses severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) also originated in animals.
As is to be expected, the COVID-19 pandemic
caught everybody by surprise in the swiftness
with which it spread and infected whole continents.
SARS was first reported in 2003; MERS in 2012. There is no dispute that these viruses arose in animals. But there is little research information as to which animal they originally resided in.
Many publications are reporting on measures taken by governments. These ranges from lockdowns to suggesting social distancing, to wearing face masks, to assisting citizens with unemployment or other benefits. Governments are also acutely conscious about the need for medical equipment to assist health care facilities.
As is to be expected, the COVID-19 pandemic caught everybody by surprise in the swiftness with which it spread and infected whole continents. Consequently, governments were ill-prepared.
This has led to wide-spread criticism. Could governments have foreseen this? Could they have reacted faster? Why aren’t there enough ventilators?
But as the numbers of deaths and infected caused by the virus unfolded on an hour-to-hour basis, the suffering of people came more into focus. These are people in hospitals.
Then, there are the elderly shut in at home and young families with children; also, people without jobs and those lining up for food outside food banks. In less developed countries, the mass migration out of the city was a horrifying sight to see.
However, the heroism also showed, especially when it came to caregivers. They worked tirelessly. Some paid a heavy price. Physicians passed away. Nurses became ill. Also, kindness of people showed when you watched them deliver food to confined people.
So…what do you want to believe? This depends on you. If you rely on medical data, there is little chance it is wrong. If you see TV videos, you are the right person to judge.
Print media that have years of respectability to their credit will not publish unbelievable material. On the other hand social media might leave much to be desired. You have to take your pick.
Shaila Ahmed is an Assistant Professor at the Department of English at American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB)
