By the time you read this, even more Coronavirus infections would’ve been reported.
For those who remain in denial and accuse the rest of us of overreacting, it is exactly the exponential nature of the infections that had us so worried.
Besides, in the case of a pandemic (which this is), I would rather overreact than be blissfully ignorant and seeing hoaxes everywhere.
But when I say overreact, I mean seeking out the truth and following the experts’ advice.
Like I said last week, it’s a fine line between hysteria and remaining calm, which is always preferable.
For example, stockpiling face masks and toilet paper is not particularly useful.
As has been pointed out, if you buy out all the face masks, then the healthcare workers dealing with victims may not have enough to protect themselves.
And that means they could potentially become infected themselves and then pass it on to us.
And can someone please explain to me how having a sh!tload of toilet paper is going to protect you from getting Covid-19?
So now you have a lot of bog roll, which may give you peace of mind, if you should ever self-quarantine and one of the side-effects for you is diarrhoea.
But that is all very unlikely if you just take the basic precautions, like washing your hands regularly, staying clear of people who have travelled lately and maybe not shaking hands.
Stop finding it funny and actually politely decline to shake hands.
Touch elbows, or feet instead.
Remember, recently infected people will look perfectly healthy for days before they experience symptoms.
Plus this is a selective virus.
Some people may get it and have nothing more than a runny nose to show for it while still passing it on to others.
And if one of those new people has a compromised immune system (with diabetes, TB or a heart condition), then it could kill them.
This is another example of how social media is doing us all a great disservice, helping to spread misinformation that fuels the hysteria.
CRAZY: Stockpiling toilet paper. Picture: Supplied.
People are just forwarding any and all of the nonsense that’s being sent to them.
And let’s face it, there are many gullible people out there.
They will believe anything that looks even remotely credible.
Before passing it on, quickly go online to verify the information.
If you can’t find it on a reputable news website, like www.iol.co.za, then there’s a very good chance it’s not true.
Better still, get used to using a website called snopes.com.
It will very quickly tell you whether something is true or not.
Remember, if you pass on fake news, then you are part of the hysteria problem.
Stay away from crowds for now and don’t touch public surfaces, if you can help it.
And by that I mean the escalator handrails, public doorknobs and communal anything.
And if you do, avoid touching your face until you can thoroughly wash your hands.
If you’re going to stockpile anything, make sure you have enough flu medication.
And don’t be selfish. Give others a chance to also stock up on basic necessities.
Because if this is (as some say) the end of times, then stockpiling is not going to save you; it will merely prolong the inevitable.
But before that, we are all coming for your bales and bales of toilet paper.