Corona virus: why mess my life?

The culprit! coronavirus

A Lebanese friend of mine told me
What a mess!!!! I really don't need more uncertainty and anxiety in my life!

In fact I wonder if any of us need the extra stress.



British airways have announced the cancellation of flights to a number of European city. Among them Vienna which is weird as Austria infection rates are lower than the UK.
I was seriously considering cancelling my flight despite the fact that, after checking, my flight status is confirmed and on time.
The hype is getting to me.
I am bombarded daily, even hourly with news about Corona and how to prevent infection.

And then I started wondering ''what is the hype about?''
According to World Health Organization (WHO), Corona virus is less deadly than Influenza, mortality rate 2% to 6%. Some people may be infected but never develop the illness; they are just carriers.
The transmission modality  is the same as influenza according to WHO. Droplets from sneezing and coughing that can live for minutes or hours on different surfaces. So avoid people sneezing and coughing and wash your hands frequently. 
Isn't what we usually do to avoid catching the flue?

We have lived with influenza for ages so why the hype about Corona virus when prevention is the same and mortality rate lower in view of improved medical science? 
Influenza is a pandemic so why are we panicking about Corona virus becoming a pandemic?
Why ruin our lives and the economy which will have negative repercussions on our quality of life for years to come. 
Can somebody give me a reasonable reason? 

Influenza, also known as “The common cold,” has a long history of infectious outbursts. Symptoms of the virus are described in texts as early as 2,400 years ago. The first real evidence of the virus comes about in 1580 – it starts in Russia and sweeps through to Western Europe and Africa. In Rome it killed over 8,000 and almost destroyed several Spanish cities.One famous breakout of the influenza virus happened in 1918 and lasted to 1919. Known as the Spanish Flu, people often felt fine during the day and succumbed to their illness after nightfall. The total mortality rate is unknown but it’s estimated that 25 million people died in the first 25 weeks, killing roughly 5% of the world’s population.Another major outbreak wouldn’t happen again until early 1956 starting in China. The infection spread to Hong Kong and then the United States where about 69,800 people were killed by it. The worldwide death toll from the Asian Flu is estimated to be around 1 to 4 million deaths, the WHO settled on around 2 million for official records. About ten years later another outbreak occurred in early 1968 in Hong Kong. The first case reached the United States in early September with the virus in full swing by December of 1968, most deaths happened during this period. Most recently, a strain of H1N1 payed a visit to the United States. In early 2009 the the H1N1 virus broke out with the first confirmed case on April 15, and by the 21st of April, scientists were hard at work on a vaccine. Five days later the United States declared H1N1 a public health emergency. By June of that year, over 18,000 cases were reported of the virus in the U.S.

As a frequent flyer I have been traveling trying to avoid infection with the flue for the last years. So what is different? Why should I mess my life?


Logically I shouldn't panic and change my plans. 
However, yet being logical when constantly being bombarded by Corona news is very difficult!