Is COVID-19 ‘overblown’? No. I do believe that the concern over the virus is, indeed, warranted. Things such as canceling sporting events, schools and as enacting lockdowns are all sensible solutions to slow the growth of the coronavirus.

Some people may point out the fact that the coronavirus may be as equally bad as the flu. With similar mortality rates in both, you can see where they draw that comparison. However, even though they may seem similar in this regard, it still is a new virus, meaning people have no resistance to it like we do the common cold or flu. People that

It’s very important to practice social distancing at these times because while our demographic may not be at risk, the older demographic is disproportionately affected by this disease. For example, while the mortality rate for people in our age group is somewhere around one percent, in the 80+ demographic the mortality rate from COVID-19 is around 10-15 percent.

One thing that seems a little overkill and wrong is the mass buying that you can see at your local supermarket or pharmacy. People are stocking up on toilet paper, hand sanitizer and paper towels. While things like hand sanitizer can be understood, why do people need 20 packs of toilet paper? That’s probably one of the only aspects of the crisis I would define as an example of mass-hysteria.

The fact that the incubation rate for the coronavirus is 2-14 days, as well as the fact that most cases show no symptoms, make the virus hard to contain. Had we acted earlier on the virus’ spread, maybe the U.S. wouldn’t be sitting on over 100,000 cases. Countries like South Korea or China took evasive actions to “flatten the curve”. These countries practiced measures like lockdowns earlier than the U.S to contain the virus. Maybe we should have taken action earlier to prevent the outbreak we are experiencing today. But it’s not worth blaming people for things that have already passed.

So far, the response by the Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer has been very professional and responsible. Michigan is one of the most affected states in the country, as according to the CDC, it is 4th in the country in total cases with 6,498 cases as of Sunday, March 31st. I think the government has also been responsible. President Trump as well as Congress as a whole, have been on top of it as of recent by passing the bi-partisan stimulus package to help relieve Americans.

In total, I think that the response from both the government and the American people has been mostly warranted. There might be some fringe instances of an ‘overreaction’, but for the most part I think we as a country have become more united in this crisis.