Do You Know How to Wash Your Hands?
Follow Up
One of the things I forgot to include in my ‘Love of Research’ issue last week was about documentaries. I love a good documentary, I can get sucked into them pretty easily. One thing I often wonder though is how they get access to make certain stories. Like how, beforehand, did they know that there was going to be a story there? It sort of makes you wonder if there is some bias there. Not in all of them, because sometimes it is clear, but some of them are a little suspect. This isn’t to say I wouldn’t also enjoy making a documentary someday.
COVID-19
If there is anything that the internet is good at, it is exploiting what is taking up everyone’s mind space at the time. When something big starts happening, content for it is in massive supply. As we are seeing now with the coronavirus, there is a lot of information out there. I can’t begin to count how many videos teaching me to wash my hands I have seen this week. At the same time, I find myself very interested in it all. Although I think the parts that are interesting to me are not what you might expect. I love the psychology of how people are reacting, from starting to prep to live for two years in solitude to literally not believing anything is happening at all. Then the other thing that I can’t stop thinking about is the economic impacts. The amount of events being canceled, how it is affecting the travel industry, how manufacturing and shipping are slowing for everyone, it is really sort of crazy. At this point, we are just seeing the tip of the production slow down. Then there is the fact that the health care industry is about to be pushed to its breaking point in the next few months.
With this giant influx of content out there, it is always best to remember to check sources. People are still trying to profit from sensationalism. Find a reputable source and keep up to date. It is important to stay informed, but not to the point of overload.
Here are a few interesting things I have found;
- On the Netflix series Explained, they had an episode about pandemics, that ironically came out in November.
- This video from Vox about why these things seem to start in China
- The Today Explained podcast has had a few episodes that have covered it as well, along with one where they interview a man that is currently sick with COVID-19 and quarantined.
- There is a newsletter from Johns Hopkins that has daily updates that are science and fact-based (the best kind).
And if you find yourself stuck inside, maybe cozy up and reread Station Eleven, or watch Counterpart on Amazon Prime.
In all seriousness, it is important to remember we are all in this together. Even if you aren’t in a highly susceptible demographic, you probably have someone you are close with that is. So follow the recommendations that are in place, keep washing your hands, and don’t steal face masks from the hospital.
Thanks for reading,
Mike