While the threat of COVID 19 hangs over us every day, dominating the news cycle, we mainly hear about health concerns. Multiple PSAs about hand washing, crowded spaces, making sure you have enough emergency supplies, the list goes on to include death tolls, and how likely you are to die from it(extremely unlikely, by the way). The halts in the global chain of exporting and importing are not widely reported, likely because they aren't something we would notice at first, especially here in the U.S. Obviously the stock market is also in trouble, but that feels like a much lengthier issue that is not well-suited for a blog post, so I'll be focusing more on consumer goods.
One product that could be in trouble is Diet Coke. Coca-Cola relies on China for aspartame, the fake sugar found in a lot of sugar-free products. While this isn't a huge issue right now, further delays in shipping could severely impact the brand and its products. Something a little more topical is the masks people have been using to protect themselves from the virus have been sold-out for weeks in many stores across the country. China is the leading producer of those masks, so it's likely a combination of trading halts and self-serving interests. Those masks are also much more helpful at preventing illness from spreading rather than preventing people from getting it. A product not impacted by the import and export process, but is still seeing record-low sales is Corona beer. Sadly, an unfortunate name and idiocy are causing a perfectly safe and non-infectious product to suffer, especially as the stock market is taking hits anyways.
1. Do you think COVID 19 is being blown out of proportion?
2. Have you or your family been getting emergency supplies? Why or why not?
3. What do you think will happen if trading continues to slump?
Source 1
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Source 3?
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6 comments:
Coronavirus is definitely a problem, but I do think it is being blown out of proportion a bit. No one should really be freaking out unless you're stuck in or around China. We shouldn't be completely indifferent towards it either though--to prevent its spread as much as possible here, good hygiene should be practiced constantly and more frequently. Wiping your desk or washing hands more wouldn't hurt. While the virus isn't a major issue here yet, we should be prepared for it if and when it does come. I think it would be wise to buy emergency supplies just in case too, if grocery markets or other stores close due to the virus' arrival.
The virus will most likely continue to hurt the economy, especially regarding China preoccupied with dealing with the virus, though I don't think it will last that long--a treatment might be formed in the not-so-distant future. Hopefully soon, because the virus' spread to other countries will probably hurt trade with them too.
On a related note to the masks, I've noticed hand sanitizer is also sold out in many places as well, which is a smarter buy than a mask if you're trying to prevent contracting the virus.
Regarding the first question, while I do think that COVID 19 is a problem, I think we are most definitely blowing it out of proportion. Corona hysteria is widespread, and I don’t think it's doing anyone or any industry any favors. People seem to forget that influenza (flu) kills thousands of Americans each year. This flu season, the CDC predicts 20,000-52,000 deaths from influenza in the US (+ there have been already close to 16,000 deaths so far). I think the reason why Corona is on the news and not the flu is because COVID 19 is the newest & ‘flash-iest’ thing to hit the world. Obviously a lack of vaccines is worrisome, and I would highly recommend elderly who suffer chronic illnesses to stay home, but aside from that, I think it would be best to continue on. (Shutting schools down probably isn’t the best idea) The only solution I could see besides letting the virus run its course would be to rapidly test everyone in the hot zones (what they might find however is that everyone has it & some people are just not getting hit by the effects/symptoms doctor’s are saying could come along). It’ll be interesting to see how the government continues to act in the “fight” against COVID 19, let’s hope this doesn’t lead to a shutdown on prom or graduation.
While it us true the hysteria over COVID 19 is definitely extreme, it might not be completely without justification with severe outbreaks seen in places like Italy as well as certain parts of the US. It hasn't been particularly lethal, with around a 2% mortality rate but still the fact that it continues to spread throughout the world is something that should be considered deadly and taken actions against. My family has not bought emergency supplies as we don't believe this disease needs such extreme precautions, but we have purchased things like masks to try and prevent receiving the virus as local areas are beginning to become infected. If trading continues to slump because of the virus for the next month, we will see heightened action by the government not just here in the US but I believe around the world as it has the potential to severely impact the world economy. There will be some sort of containment effort as to prevent any further spread of the virus, possible quarantine cities with the virus similar to Wuhan as if things persist drastic measures might be necessary.
I think that COVID 19 is to the extreme now. But it is hard to tell how extreme it is since many people have not been tested yet who could potentially be positive. Although the morality rate is not high, the virus continues to spread all around the world. Now, the Bay Area is considered to be in a state of emergency. From our last trip to Costco, they have ran out of water bottles, hand sanitizers, masks, but most surprisingly, they have ran out of toilet paper. The virus will certainly continue to hurt the economy, especially China's. But I have heard that the virus will decrease as the weather is slowly becoming warmer. I'm not sure if this virus will last a long time, hopefully it won't. But as of now, I hope that everyone remembers to take caution to their surroundings and stay hygienic.
While the panic over the coronavirus is somewhat extreme, I think that much of it is justified. There likely won’t be any vaccines for coronavirus for more than a year and not much is known about how to treat the disease. One of the major issues right now is that people aren’t being tested at the rate they should be, causing many to spread the disease before they are aware that they actually have it. Honestly, if the entire medical and scientific community is worried, I think that people need to recognize the severity of the outbreak, I feel like many teenagers especially aren’t taking this outbreak as seriously as they should be. Sure, younger people are less likely to suffer from any serious symptoms. But, young asymptomatic carriers can easily spread it to older relatives and other people with weaker immune systems. For teenagers, it isn’t necessarily about protecting ourselves from COVID19, but rather protecting those around us as spreading the disease only puts other people more at risk. Probably the best things for us to do right now are just washing hands regularly and limiting time spent in public places. Also, stocking up on basic supplies like food and medicine is a good idea as the outbreak doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
Personally, I think that the mass hysteria from covid-19 is a bit on the extreme side, however it is somewhat justified. It is not, on the other hand, a good indicator for the level of maturity, at least for the United States, we have towards health concerns. If we were truly a modern and responsible society, we would not have the need to cause mass hysteria, for we can view this as an opportunity to increase our hygiene practices, rather than cause widespread panic. We have the technology, we have the resources, we even have the health care. But there shouldn’t be a need to panic and scramble as if it’s the end of the world. Human history has had outbreaks similar to this virus; covid19 is relatively similar to influenza. It has similar transmission and symptoms. The only thing that’s different is that we don’t have a cure or a vaccine for it.
For supplies, my family has been shopping rather normally in this atmosphere. For others, it may be in their best interests, for they might have more potent concerns surrounding the virus. This does not mean that we are plainly ignorant to the public’s well-being. Hand washing, covering up sneezes, avoiding contact, and simply following the public’s requests for hygiene is what we follow.
Trading will slow down until there are no suppliers available. Only supplies that are crucial for general function will be held. There is, however, a risk for transmission through trade, for the virus can travel on what is being traded overseas or through the air. It would be extremely helpful if the CDC could issue warnings and policies to ensure cleanliness and proper handling of goods to minimize the risk of transmission.
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