Coronavirus Update

Over the last few weeks, it seems everywhere you turn you are confronted with news about Coronavirus (COVID-19). If you haven’t heard about Coronavirus then we envy you, as we haven’t been able to STOP hearing about Coronavirus, but we wish we did.

There’s a lot of fear on the screens and anxiety in the air, so with that in mind, we thought we’d share some facts from our research with you too. You probably won’t hear it on TV or social media though, because nothing really sells clicks and ad space like toilet paper fights at your local.

 

 

Whilst yes, it’s only natural to be concerned over something new and unknown, we really don’t think it’s going to be the end of the world as you know it. In fact, most of our customers are still travelling as usual, taking advantage of deals on flights, accommodation and tours, and know that in a few weeks or months time this should be old news like the last global health scare (Do you even remember that one? 🐷)

Taking precautions is a great idea... but living in fear, letting it control your life, or stopping you from planning amazing travel experiences you’ll remember forever... is not a great idea.

According to our research findings...

"The vast majority of cases are going to be mild, and people are going to recover just like they do from a cold or flu-like illness," said Dr. Amesh Adalja (Source).

According to statistics since the outbreak began, the people mainly at real risk of being affected by a bout of Coronavirus is the elderly (70+), or people with pre-existing health conditions.

Coronavirus is a particularly acute strain of the flu, but at the end of the day, it is just another flu. You’re very unlikely to die, especially if you’re under 60, and caving into hysteria is proving to be doing more damage than the Coronavirus itself.

According to this cool data map we came across by John Hopkins CSSE, as of March 10, 113,000 people out of 7,000,000,000+ have caught this flu. Of that 113k, 65,000 have recovered already, that’s about 60% of people who caught it, having now recovered. Did anyone see that on the news or on social media? - We didn’t.

About 4% of people, being 1 in 25 who caught this flu, have died from it. Another 15 have recovered and are fine. Whilst people dying from a flu is never good, did you know that…

Coronavirus has killed 4,000 people globally since December. In the USA alone, just since last October, up to 49,000,000 (that’s 49 MILLION) Americans have caught a strain of flu. And, up to 52,000 Americans have died from the flu, also just since last October. We’re not sure about you, but that would be pretty worrying to us if it got as much media attention as COVID-19 (Source).

But we haven’t developed a vaccine yet, because this a strain of flu we’ve never seen before. That’s why it’s making the news and why people are fighting in the supermarket. Naturally, without a vaccine, there’s going to be a higher % of deaths than the common flu, for now.

Let’s not forget, that this strain of flu was created from humans exploiting wildlife by trafficking them from all corners of the globe into China to be sold at illegal wildlife markets as pets or meat. Combining these animals, who may have their own diseases already, and who would never cross paths in the wild, all into a small market place in cages to be sold, is not only sickening to know, but it is now causing humans to be sick themselves. Their individual diseases get to mix, and a new strain of virus is born. We as a species, unfortunately, did bring this upon ourselves. We’re hoping that once this is all over, some serious lessons are recognised and learned from Mother Nature, and Governments do something to stop illegal wildlife trafficking from happening in the first place. Like most issues we’re facing in the world, we really only have ourselves to blame, once again.

But enough about the sad stuff, let’s finish with how you can stay healthy so if you do catch it, your body can fight it naturally. As you learned in school, your immune system is your body’s mechanism to fight invasions and stop you from getting sick. So we suggest to:

• Cough or sneeze into your elbow, or a tissue and bin it.
• Wash your hands regularly with soap.
• Eat healthy foods, as this is what strengthens your immune system. Ie, Vegetables. You remember being told to “eat your greens” as a child, well, now is a good time to practice.
• Cut back on fast food, junk food or foods without nutrients, these weaken your immune system.
• Stop smoking & cut back alcohol - both of these also weaken your immune system.
• Consider replacing that bottle of Coke with a green juice. Coke is acidic which weakens your immune system, greens are alkaline which strengthens it.
• Get regular exercise, this is well known to boost your immune system.

The above we consider fairly common sense, but the media fails to tell us to try live healthier. That doesn’t sell clicks and views.

There’s a very good chance that things are going to get worse before they get better. We’re not going to sugar coat that. But, if we practice healthy living and good hygiene, not only will we lower the chances of our body getting infected because our immune system isn’t strong enough to fight it on its own, we’ll also prevent spreading it. IF, it even comes to a town near you. Don’t forget, that it’s just another strain of flu, and flus have been around since the dawn of time. Life will go on, the world will keep turning, and we’ll all keep travelling.

If you’re booked on a trip with us, or planning on booking soon, don’t forget that;

• We offer a Lifetime Deposit Guarantee on all trips, so you can change your date around as you need to.
• We’re working with all our suppliers to offer no change fees on all trips even if you’re departing within the next 28 days.
• We’re still not flying people through China. And most of our partner airlines are offering free date changes too, just in case you’re leaving soon and want to push it back a bit.
• Our team is here to help answer questions, we’re known to offer flexibility in our trips and airfares that most others don’t, so get in touch with your Trip Coordinator if you have any concerns at all.

What we also discovered whilst writing this, is if you sing “COVID-19” to the tune of “Come on Eileen”, every time a news outlet tells you you’re going to die, you’ll feel much better too.

 

Yours in sickness and health,

Global Work & Travel