Why We Need To Take Coronavirus Seriously in India

I see quite a few people dismissing the Coronavirus as something that’s been blown out of proportion. Let’s spare a moment to consider what the US Surgeon General Jerome Adams recently said. “We now know more about who is at risk. Average age of death for people from Coronavirus is 80. Average age of people who need medical attention is age 60.”

What this means is that most people roaming around in public places contracting the virus from others will probably get a little sick or maybe not show any symptoms at all. So there is very little danger to them and they could feel justified in thinking that the issue has been blown out of proportion. However, what they may not realize is that they could become the carriers of the disease to older family members they interact with at home who could actually become very sick or even die. People above 80 aren’t roaming public places touching stuff that’s infected. The younger people are doing that.

Here are some real numbers to think about:

I think we in India should take the Coronavirus very seriously. Unlike Europe and urban China, we live in joint families. This means that if and when we have a widespread outbreak, the younger people who move around will get infected and transmit it to their retired parents and grandparents at home. A 8% fatality rate for people in their 70’s and a 15% fatality rate for people 80 and above is a very very serious problem.

I called an all-hands meeting in my company yesterday and explained this to my employees. The idea wasn’t to scare them. But to sensitize them on the seriousness of the situation. I urge all of you to do something similar.

I usually don’t ask people to share my posts. But I will make an exception here. The more people understand this the better. You can continue sharing Coronavirus memes and jokes on social media and WhatsApp. But please share this as well.

This is important. What we start doing now will directly impact how we are affected later.