There’s a lot of misinformation out there about the coronavirus. In this podcast, which features content from The Wall Street Journal What’s News podcast, I’m going to separate fact from fiction, and take a look at what we know for sure so far. I’m also going to address the question of open borders and the role that they have played in the spread of the virus. Plenty of people are saying that the virus is a sign that the world has become too integrated. But calls to reverse globalisation to prevent the spread of new illnesses are short-sighted and ignore the potential costs of a less-connected world. – Felicity Duncan
The only thing spreading faster than coronavirus is coronavirus panic. Fake news and false cures are everywhere – an otherwise intelligent colleague today assured me that homeopathy will both prevent and cure the virus (to be 100% clear, homeopathy has never been found to be medically effective in hundreds of careful experimental studies and it will not cure or prevent coronavirus). As the economic and social costs mount up, hysteria is a distinct possibility.
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The best thing we can do is try to take a breath and stick to the facts. In this podcast, which features content from The Wall Street Journal What’s News podcast, we take a dive into the facts so far. We look at the number of cases of coronavirus and why they may be underestimated, as well as what we know about how infectious and deadly it is – and why what we know may be wrong.
We also ask whether open borders and global connectedness have played a role in the spread of the virus. Many commentators – especially of a populist, right wing bent – are using coronavirus to argue against global migration and trade. But we stand to lose a lot if we reverse course on integration. Even if global travel makes us more vulnerable to viruses, it also makes us richer and happier. Life is about trade-offs and we need to think carefully about what we’d be willing to give up to avoid illnesses – especially since closed borders are no guarantee of safety (look at North Korea).
