Sharing is a basic life skill that is taught in every elementary school.
From an early age, children are engrained with the idea that allowing others to use their items is mutually beneficial – lest they need to borrow an item in the future.
In today’s society the idea of sharing has taken on an entirely different meaning. With the rise of social media, the ability to “share” everything from selfies to sports highlights has become second nature for many.
While sharing is a great way to get information out to a wide audience in a short amount of time, Monday’s meeting of public officials planning local response to a the potential impact of coronavirus outlined why sharing needs to be done with caution.
Not all information is created equal.
Coronavirus, which emerged in January in Wuhan, China, has been confirmed in more than 83,000 cases worldwide as of Monday. Of those cases, more than 78,000 have occurred in China. According to the World Health Organization there have been 2,858 deaths globally and two confirmed in the United States.
While coronavirus is a health concern to keep an eye on, and taking proper precautions such as increased hand washing, covering of the nose when coughing or sneezing and avoiding unnecessary physical contact, are good ideas, there is no reason to panic.
Thus far there have been zero cases of coronavirus in Macon County and one confirmed case in North Carolina. Those facts are important to remember while scrolling through some of the less reputable information being shared via social media.
The coronavirus frenzy online has a life of its own and it seems to be growing by the day. So much so that the Center for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and many healthcare organizations are issuing daily fact sheets to dispel any new myths about the outbreak.
For accurate and up-to-date information, most of which is shareable via social media if the urge strikes, visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index or epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/COVID19.