I’m no financial expert, but – if you ask me – why not withdraw every last penny from your bank account, head to your nearest casino and put it all on red? You could literally double your money. Sure, something else could happen entirely. But all investments are risky, right? And, like I said, I’m no financial expert.
If you found this advice helpful, you may want to look to Twitter for the many nuggets of coronavirus wisdom currently being proffered by self-proclaimed non public health experts. Along with Rory Stewart (you know, that guy who wants to crash on your sofa and be mayor of London) deciding that schools closures are a must, men across the globe have stepped up – in brave defiance of their total absence of virus containment expertise – to offer, free of charge, non-expertise on the very serious situation in which we find ourselves.
Among them is the political scientist Yascha Mounk who, to be fair, is a “scientist”. “First, the obvious disclaimer,” he tweeted on Monday, “I’m not ab [sic] expert in public health.” Instead of acknowledging his non-expertise and saying nothing, Mounk wrote, “But I *am* trained in the study of public policy and political philosophy.” At which point, I’m sure all of those with compromised immune systems who are at risk of actual death from coronavirus exhaled a collective sigh of relief that the political philosopher had spoken. Unsurprisingly, Mounk then went on to share some thoughts about how we should deal with the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the BBC are facing an inevitable backlash after inviting Nigel Farage on to Newsnight to talk about coronavirus. I’d be hard-pushed to test a cold remedy recommended by Nigel Farage. Something tells me it would involve putting a copy of the Telegraph in a blender with a pint of bulldog piss, and injecting the concoction directly into your head. Elsewhere, Tom Harwood, a reporter for the rightwing website Guido Fawkes, was quick to defend his inclusion in a Sky News segment on coronavirus, when one Twitter user suggested that public health experts rather than political commentators might have been a better call. When asked by another Twitter user what qualified him to talk about the politics of a pandemic, his response, “BA (hons) Politics, St Mary’s College, Durham”, was dynamite. It’s “(hons)” that does it – quelling all fear that an unqualified 23-year-old was invited on to broadcast television to opine on a complex and urgent public health matter.
What is Covid-19 - the illness that started in Wuhan?
It is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals.
What are the symptoms this coronavirus causes?
The virus can cause pneumonia. Those who have fallen ill are reported to suffer coughs, fever and breathing difficulties. In severe cases there can be organ failure. As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use. The antiviral drugs we have against flu will not work. Recovery depends on the strength of the immune system. Many of those who have died were already in poor health.
Should I go to the doctor if I have a cough?
In the UK, the medical advice is that if you have recently travelled from areas affected by coronavirus, you should:
- stay indoors and avoid contact with other people as you would with the flu
- call NHS 111 to inform them of your recent travel to the area
More NHS advice on what to do if you think you have been exposed to the virus can be found here, and the full travel advice to UK nationals is available here.
Is the virus being transmitted from one person to another?
China’s national health commission confirmed human-to-human transmission in January, and there have been such transmissions elsewhere.
How many people have been affected?
As of 9 March, more than 110,000 people have been infected in more than 80 countries, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
There have over 3,800 deaths globally. Just over 3,000 of those deaths have occurred in mainland China. 62,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus.
Why is this worse than normal influenza, and how worried are the experts?
We don’t yet know how dangerous the new coronavirus is, and we won’t know until more data comes in. Seasonal flu typically has a mortality rate below 1% and is thought to cause about 400,000 deaths each year globally. Sars had a death rate of more than 10%.
Another key unknown is how contagious the coronavirus is. A crucial difference is that unlike flu, there is no vaccine for the new coronavirus, which means it is more difficult for vulnerable members of the population – elderly people or those with existing respiratory or immune problems – to protect themselves. Hand-washing and avoiding other people if you feel unwell are important. One sensible step is to get the flu vaccine, which will reduce the burden on health services if the outbreak turns into a wider epidemic.
Have there been other coronaviruses?
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers) are both caused by coronaviruses that came from animals. In 2002, Sars spread virtually unchecked to 37 countries, causing global panic, infecting more than 8,000 people and killing more than 750. Mers appears to be less easily passed from human to human, but has greater lethality, killing 35% of about 2,500 people who have been infected.
I myself am no public health expert, but I am almost certain that sweeping statements about school closures and how the severity of the virus is being “downplayed” are going to do nothing but generate clicks and spread panic. Any sentence that begins with “I’m not a public health expert, but …” can only end with useful advice by pure accident. In reality, the sort of political posturing disguised as a public service announcement is probably less helpful than a meme about hand washing. For all we know, the latter could be saving thousands of lives, seeing as actual experts have said hand washing is extremely important.
Perhaps, in a time when we’re so forcefully encouraged by politicians not to trust experts, declaring yourself not an expert gives you a level of prestige. As Donald Trump said, during a recent tour of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta, “People are really surprised I understand this stuff. Every one of these doctors said, ‘How do you know so much about this?’ Maybe I have a natural ability.” Don’t be that guy. Don’t project what you’ve inferred to be your “natural understanding” of epidemics on to an actual, ongoing epidemic. Pipe down. Channel it into a sci-fi novel or a post-apocalyptic screenplay. There are grownups in the room, and we need to step aside and let them take over.
Granted, I’m not an expert on experts, but I do really want to survive the next few weeks. And if someone in a white coat, with letters after their name tells me to do something, chances are I’m going to trust them more than I am the political pundits at the back.
• Eleanor Margolis is a columnist for the New Statesman and Diva
