In an effort to become as knowledgeable about the recent outbreak of COVID-19 and its impacts globally, nationally and at home, I have actively sought information from international and governmental resources, as well as general dialogues from communities that I trust.
I have to say however, that between many of the flagrant and incendiary news stories being circulated, as well as the abundance of irresponsible social media posts and comment threads online, I have become more and more alarmed at the level of misinformation being purveyed and the people who seem all to accepting of it. If for no other reason than to do my part as a responsible global citizen, I just wanted to share some facts around commonly miscommunicated or falsely reported information that I’ve heard or seen peddled lately.
Firstly, it is ALL of our responsibilities to visit sites like the World Health Organization (WHO.int) or The Centers for Disease Control (CDC.gov) if official validation on anything COVID-19 related is needed.
Also, while all may not contract this disease, ALL are susceptible (capable of being affected by it) especially since COVID-19 has jumped from animals to humans and is believed to have mutated into two strains.
Additionally, many outlets have reported (bbc.com being one) that Kem Senou Pavel Daryl, a Cameroonian student living in Jingzhou was the first known African person to contract the virus in Feb, but began “showing signs of recovery” within two weeks after being treated with antibiotics and HIV treatment drugs. Though it continues to appear that outbreaks of the virus in Sub-Saharan regions of African tend to be lower when compared to other localities across the globe, this case does seem to contradict the claim that melanin provides immunity against COVID-19.
Lastly, Johns Hopkins University has developed a global map that tracks in real time locations for all confirmed cases of COVID-19, including new, recovered and those resulting in death (I use it daily as a part of company communications information strategy for my clients). This tool is in-depth as it tracks stats globally, by country and by state (U.S.). You can find it here. It is also available in a mobile version.
My sincere hope is that everyone stays safe and aware during these uncertain times but if you do share COVID-19 information and updates, be your sister’s/brother’s keeper and point them to a trusted, corroborative source!
