With COVID-19, otherwise known as the Coronavirus, spreading rapidly across the United States, citizens young and old, as well as, the media are being sent into a frenzy.

According to the CDC, the virus has 423 confirmed cases in the U.S. as of March 9 and has spread mostly through travel-related circumstances. 

While many are possibly over-reacting, it’s important to consider and separate the facts from the fiction. Currently, all 50 states plus the U.S. territories are testing for the virus when necessary.

The CDC have shared that the people at higher risk for contracting the virus are older adults, and people with chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes and lung disease. However, an outbreak in a community could spread quickly as it’s predicted one person can spread the virus to 2-4 other people.

Overall, when comparing the Coronavirus to Influenza (Flu) a lot of the symptoms are similar. Coughing, sneezing, maintaining a fever and shortness of breath are all symptoms that you could show with a regular case of the flu or the Coronavirus alike.

The best way to keep the virus in check is by washing your hands with warm water and soap frequently throughout the day. Additionally, distancing yourself from those who are sick or showing symptoms can help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As a society, people have been alarmed. The virus has started to affect more than just the health field. In the stock market, the DOW Jones dropped 2,013 in one day on March 9. It’s around 7.7 percent of the market.

In stores and online marketplaces, the cost of soap, hand sanitizers and masks have skyrocketed, and it’s made it difficult for those who need them to gain access to them.

It should be noted that we need to learn all the facts and push off the misconceptions about the Coronavirus. This will limit the reaction we’ve seen nationwide and locally, as well as, help people control the spread more efficiently.

Media outlets and news stations alike have continued to cover the virus and provide different angles on how it affects our everyday lives. However, if we continue to worry about the severity of it and how it can tear us apart as a community and nation, we’ll miss the opportunity to work through it and become stronger.

In addition to materialistic things such as the stores and stocks, the virus has brought racial tensions to the forefront. With nations like China, South Korea and Italy holding the most cases and the largest amount of people affected, it is people from those areas who are being blamed. We cannot turn against each other during this time. We must work together to find solutions to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.

Pointing the finger and spreading the blame won’t prevent the sickness from harming millions. Instead, we should come together, sort fact from fiction and design personal plans for what can help us and our immediate family and friends fight off the Coronavirus.