The news around COVID-19 has been all-consuming, confusing, and anxiety-fuelling. While health matters are complicated at the best of times, throw in a global pandemic and looming recession and you’ve got three of the most complex topics all rolled into the one seemingly endless news story.

What’s actually important to know, and what’s media sensationalizing?

Here are the answers to every coronavirus question Zee Feed has been asked over the past four weeks. We’re keeping it simple and straightforward, emphasising practical knowledge and actions to take.

This is a no freak-out zone.

*We don’t really mean ‘lazy’! But you don’t have the time to read every coronavirus news article, so we did the reading for you. You’re welcome 😉

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Contents

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The Basics

What is COVID-19, and how does it compare to the ‘regular’ flu?

COVID-19 is a type of ‘coronavirus’ ­– basically, a type of viral infection that causes respiratory illness. C-19 is brand new and has only been around since December 2019 (originated in Wuhan, China). The Australian Health Department has a basic breakdown of the essential details here. 

C-19 spreads via droplets that travel from one person to another by coughing or sneezing (droplets from a sneeze can travel surprisingly far), touching hands, or by touching things that have droplets on them (ick) – similar to the flu.

Scientists have found that in a lab environment the virus can live on cardboard/paper surfaces for up to 24 hours; up to three days on plastic or stainless steel; and as an aerosol (not a droplet) in the air for around three hours. It’s very likely that in the real world, those timeframes would be much lower.

There are some similarities between Influenza and C-19, but also some super important differences:

I heard there are two strains – is that true and if so, what’s the difference?

All viruses mutate and evolve, which is true for C-19 too. According to New Scientist, scientists have identified one evolution of the original C-19 virus – however the difference is so tiny it can barely even be classified as a second strain.

You can read up more on that here.

How many people will get Covid-19 in Australia? And the world?

Because the virus is brand spanking new, it’s really hard for scientists to create models that reliably predict how many people will be affected. So far, the results have way too big a gap: it could be anywhere from 25% to 70% of Australians who get the virus, which would translate to up to 400,000 deaths. Or it could be up to 3,000 deaths.

Is “somewhere between 3,000 and 400,000” a range we can be confident in, really?

If you want the most up to date number of confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths worldwide, check out the John Hopkins tracker.

But keep in mind that it is really hard to know how many people already have C-19, already recovered from it, or have passed from it, because:

• Many people show no symptoms, so won’t ever get tested and therefore would never be a ‘confirmed’ case
• Many countries in the world do not have the health systems and facilities in place to do extensive testing (be thankful you live in Australia, with our world-class healthcare system)

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Health

How do I know if I have it? Should I get tested?

Not everyone needs to be tested right now – priority is reserved for those who are most likely to have contracted C-19.

First of all – and we cannot stress this enough – if you are young and healthy there is very slim chance of you suffering serious health impacts even if you did catch the ol’ C-19.

The danger is in how easily this disease is spread to the vulnerable people you may come into contact with: the elderly, those with compromised immunity, with pre-existing respiratory conditions.

That is why self-isolation is so important – not necessarily for your recovery, but so you don’t spread it. Quit making this about you!

With that said, let’s troubleshoot your illness­. If you’re an otherwise healthy, relatively young person…

If in doubt, you can call the Coronavirus hotline 1800 020 080 ­– be warned, the hold time can be loooong.

If you have symptoms and there is no professional advice available to you, it can’t hurt to be extra cautious and self-isolate for two weeks anyway.

The ABC has a solid guide on how to self-isolate. Make sure you do it right though, because ignoring quarantine rules could earn you a $50,000 fine or 12 months in prison!

If the symptoms for 90% of cases are mild, and most people fully recover, why is the virus causing a global meltdown?

Once more for the people at the back: the concern over C-19 is how damn fast it spreads, therefore how easily it is able to reach people who are at risk and cause their deaths. Nobody wants that if it can be prevented.

But there is another reason too.

As C-19 is highly contagious lots of people are becoming infected at once, which puts a huge strain on the health care systems and resources of each country.

Here’s an example: Some modelling estimates that between 2.4 – 21 million people in the U.S (again, a very big range) may need to be hospitalised due to C-19. However the country only has about 925,000 staffed hospital beds. Yikes.

Global authorities are trying to slow down the spread of the virus because there is no way in hot hell that they could care for every patient if they all got sick at once.

I’m not sick. It’s fine to go out to cafes, the gym, to the shops, right?

Well, not really.

Even if you are not sick, limiting your contact with other people will help slow down the spread of the virus, in turn taking the pressure off the healthcare system. That’s why you will have heard lots about Social Distancing and ‘Flattening the Curve’ lately.

This Washington Post piece perfectly explains why social distancing is important for even healthy people to practice right now, and why it is our best bet to beat C-19.

TL;DR the less people are out and about accidentally exchanging droplets with each other (ew), fewer people get sick and those cases are spread out over a longer, more manageable period of time for hospitals to deal with.

Social Distancing DOs and DON’Ts for Healthy People

More advice from experts about Social Distancing over on The Atlantic.

What’s better, hand washing or hand sanitiser?

Hand washing with soap is king. Hand sanitiser is better than nothing.

For a great explanation of why hand sanitiser is just ‘okay’ at getting rid of germs, watch this amazing and hilarious breakdown of the science behind alcohol-based sanitiser by science enthusiast and TV chef, Alton Brown.

While we’re on the topic, any shitty ‘natural-only’ influencer who shares a recipe for homemade hand sanitiser that doesn’t include alcohol deserves to be fired from the Internet because it will. not. work. Irresponsible at best, dangerous at worst. GTFOH.

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Economic Impact

What are the economic implications, globally and locally?

Deep breath. First, global economics: The initial C-19 outbreak had an immediate impact on the global economy, and Australia’s in particular.

The reason? It started in China, the country responsible for 28% of all manufacturing in the world and a 1.3 billion population with serious spending power of their own.

When the outbreak forced a huge section of the population into lockdown in their own homes, it not only shut down stores, schools, etc but also the factories and facilities producing the rest of the world’s stuff.

The impact was two-fold. Suddenly:

• China stopped the supply of what they were selling to other businesses around the world. That meant businesses in Australia, the USA, India, Brazil, literally everywhere, couldn’t get packaging/stock/parts to sell to their own customers which in turn is money lost
• The Chinese population stopped buying goods themselves, including those imported from other countries – even more money lost

But the China shutdown hit Australia harder than most, as our economy is super dependent on China. They are our biggest trading partners: they buy 30% of all the stuff we export (beef, wine, iron ore), not to mention how much money Chinese consumers bring to the country via tourism and education (international students pay big bucks to attend Aussie universities).

So when the outbreak hit, the Australian dollar and stock market crashed. This affects big business the most.

But then! When C-19 hit Australian shores and forced everyone here to head indoors, the local economy was immediately affected.

Why? Less people out in public means less spending with local business, in turn forcing job losses, business closures, and less money in the system in general. This affects small to medium businesses the most.

The combination of global and local economies getting smashed at the same time? Disaster.

How long will it take for the economy to heal?

For Australia, it’s going to be a long road. The ABC is reporting that it could take 10 years to get back to a solid economic position.

The key to strengthening the economy is having Australian businesses making lots of money, which requires all of us to be spending money. But when people have lost jobs or income due to having to take 14 days off work, or because their employer is either cutting costs or gone out of business… yeah, we don’t have the $$$ to spend.

The Government is trying to put money back into Aussie pockets in an effort to get people spending again. They’ve announced a $17billion package focused on helping low-income households and small to medium businesses with staff, and a second, massive $66billion package to further support small businesses and people who have lost income or jobs due to C-19 shut downs.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has also dropped the interest rate to an all-time low of 0.25% ­– effectively telling banks to reduce the amount that people pay on major loans like mortgages.

These are all efforts to keep money moving within the Australian system, but unfortunately, things will only get worse before they get better.

Even when the public health threat is over, to recover from financial damage is going to take some time.

Which countries have had the best response?

Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan are being universally recognised as having the most effective, aggressive responses to C-19.

Especially Singapore, which has had 178 confirmed cases and no fatalities (at time of publishing), thanks to the following measures rolled out almost immediately from early February:

• Implementing a travel ban even before the World Health Organisation recommendation
• Testing on every single person with any flu-like symptoms
• A SGD$100 payment for self-employed people forced to quarantine
• Laws that stop employers from taking leave from staff who have to quarantine
• Clear, consistent communication from the Government about what to do and when

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Mental Health

The news is freaking me out. What should I do?!

If the news, confusing messages and rapidly changing environment are stressing you out, please try:

• Limiting your news consumption – stick to a 10 minute window once or twice a day, maximum. And make sure you are visiting reliable news sources; any of the sites linked in the document are generally safe.
• Limiting your social media use; a good habit to get into regardless
• Staying connected to friends and loved ones. Physical isolation doesn’t mean social isolation, so take advantage of tech like FaceTime and Zoom to spend quality time with your favourite people
• Distracting yourself by learning new skills or picking up new hobbies – give your brain something else to think about

For those really struggling, therapy is still available even in the age of quarantine! Ask your psychologist/therapy practice if phone or video appointments are available, or use a digital therapy platform like Lysn.

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