E-Paper
‘I’m not afraid of COVID-19, but mass panic’: Doctor’s post on coronavirus outbreak finds people’s support
Netizens have thanked Abdu Sharkawy for sharing such “rational” words amid the ongoing “chaos.”
A Facebook post by a doctor is going all kinds of viral on social media with many agreeing with him. Abdu Sharkawy, who is also an infectious diseases specialist, shared the post and wrote that he is more scared of the mass panic surrounding coronavirus than the outbreak itself.
He starts the post by introducing himself and says that he has worked in “inner city hospitals and in the poorest slums of Africa” with patients infected with deadly infectious diseases. Then adds, “there is little I haven’t been exposed to in my profession.”
He writes, though he’s rightly concerned” about the well-being of the people, he’s not “scared of Covid-19.” However, what really scares him is “the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world.” And then adds, people being suspicious of their fellow human beings amid this epidemic scare him too.
Then he reveals what he’s most scared about and it’s the message we are sending across our younger generation. He says, “instead of reason, rationality, open-mindedness and altruism, we are telling them to panic, be fearful, suspicious, reactionary and self-interested.”
Towards his post’s end, he “implores” everyone to fight “fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education.”
“Facts not fear. Clean hands. Open hearts,” with these words he concludes his post.
Read his entire post:
Since being shared on March 6, the post has received lots of appreciation from people worldwide. It has gathered over 6.1 lakh reactions with more than 1.5 million shares. Many have thanked the doctor for sharing such “rational” words amid the ongoing “chaos.”
“Love this. And it’s clearly been a popular post!” wrote a Facebook user. “I’m from Singapore. Your advice is such a breath of fresh air!” commented another. “Thank you for the much needed perspective and for being an example to the world about how we should respond in the face of fear. So proud of you and thank you for your public service!” thanked another.
What do you think of the doctor’s post? Do you agree with him?
