Covid-19: throttling the fear and embracing the science of prevention

Abstract

Covid-19 is creating a flurry of fear and stigma across the globe. The individual fear is of discrimination at isolation centers, fears of dying alone with no funeral as per rituals. The mass fear is fueled by social and news media through negative news, disseminating medical knowledge, and confusing multiple mathematical projection models. Hence, firstly need to impede this pandemic of fear and stigma. Equally vital is to embrace the science of prevention by stringently following WHOguidelines. The general population should not fall prey to non-scientific news on social media. There should be restricted, systematic, and timely dissemination of medical knowledge to the medical fraternity. Identify limited expert spokesperson to present factual positive data and strategies of prevention. Disengaging politics and conflicts of commercial interests and educating the population for social changes and norms are required to control the pandemic. Increased GDP allocation to the health sector; Population Control, Improved Literacy rates are other long-term measures.