For the first time in our lifetimes, the entire world is speaking about the same crisis with the same perspective. But there is one word we’ve seen over and over again that just doesn’t help: panic. Every day, there are stories about buying panics, selling panics, and just plain panic panics. But are we really panicked at all?
Panic is defined as an overwhelming fear causing irrational or unthinking behavior. Clinically, sufferers can experience intense physical feelings that can seem like a heart attack. In other words, panic is fear on steroids that leads people to behave in ways that just don’t make sense.
We have good reason to be nervous. The world is dealing with a novel coronavirus that has quickly spread across the globe and led countries to impose mass quarantines, shut down their borders, and experience high death rates in vulnerable populations. Concerns over deadly viruses are buried deep in our psyche and are even a common trope in dystopian stories of the future. If you’re not afraid, you probably aren’t paying attention.
The good news is that this is not that virus. Most people who are sickened by COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, will have mild symptoms and completely recover, with many not even realizing that they had this feared infection.
The people most likely to have serious complications from getting infected with the novel coronavirus are those who are 60 and older, especially if they have preexisting conditions. Based on the data from Italy, 90% or more of the deaths from COVID-19 are in this population, with the average fatality rate around 10%. In the United States, at least one-fifth of our population is in this high-risk category. We are confident that we will see much lower rates of complications here, but only if we act now — for the good of both individuals and society.
We Americans excel in a crisis. We are now coming together by staying apart. While some may describe stores selling out of hand sanitizer and toilet paper as panic, we would call it being prepared. In the face of uncertainty with threatened quarantines and school closings, it’s very rational to follow the advice of public health experts (even if we haven’t done it before) and make sure we have a two-week supply of essential foods, soap, medications — and yes, even toilet paper.
That’s what we have done. Don’t call this panic: Call it smart.
What the public faces now is not mass panic but rather mass uncertainty. Uncertainty makes us uncomfortable, and as doctors, we know that patients often just want to know what to do. All of us, from parents to small-business owners to CEOs, are looking for guidance on how to behave right now. Should we cancel our party? Should we close our bar? Should we shut down our offices, stores, or stadiums? Should we tape a show without an audience? These are the types of questions we have been answering continuously on television programs, social media, and our personal text messages.
Making those decisions is difficult, and no one wants to be accused of panicking or overreacting. It can be hard to be first, but deep down, we all know the right thing to do, and it’s based on science. The less often people go out, the more we protect our society and the ones we love — and protect our healthcare system from imploding.
We want to commend those brave members of the private sector, as well as local health officers, mayors, and governors, who have already taken decisive action to lead from the bottom up to protect society. Now, it’s time for the rest of us.
Unless we are all synchronized, we won’t be able to stop the spread of this potentially deadly virus. If schools close down and people still have to go to work, children will end up huddled together in emergency daycare centers. Ultimately, it would be the most disadvantaged among us who will bear the brunt of this outbreak, and that is a violation of our fundamental American belief in fairness and equality.
Let’s make these tough decisions together today. Most people don’t really want to go out right now anyway — though they might not say it out loud. If you haven’t already, as much as you can, it’s time to stay home, not travel, close your office, and postpone your events.
This isn’t a “snow day.” It won’t be fun, and it will feel unnatural, but protecting our hands, eyes, noses, and mouths will also protect all of our hearts.
Remember: This is temporary, and life will return to normal. There will be economic consequences, but they will be far greater if we end up in a situation where we are rationing our healthcare. Markets hate uncertainty the same way all of us do. Decisive action quells panic and is the quickest way to stabilize our financial woes. The reality is that the fundamentals of our economy have not changed, and we can more quickly get back to work the sooner we stop the spread of COVID-19.
Stop using the word panic, which embarrasses Americans who are appropriately taking steps to slow the novel coronavirus. Instead, let’s focus on shifting from uncertainty to certainty and get comfortable with being uncomfortable for a little while.
Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) is host of The Dr. Oz Show and an attending surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University. Dr. Michael Crupain (@DrCrupain) is the show’s medical director.
