STEREOTYPES OF COVID-19 AMONG STUDENTS

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Stereotype refers to a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is defined as illness caused by a novel coronavirus now called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; formerly called 2019-nCoV), which was first identified amid an outbreak of respiratory illness cases in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. It was initially reported to the WHO on December 31, 2019. On January 30, 2020, the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global health emergency. Illness caused by SARS-CoV-2 was termed COVID-19 by the WHO, the acronym derived from "coronavirus disease 2019. " The name was chosen to avoid stigmatizing the virus's origins in terms of populations, geography, or animal associations.



In Kenya, the onset of the virus led to the closure of learning institutions to prevent further spread of the virus. While at home, students have been fed with various information as far as the virus concerned. Some of the information might be true while others are not. Unfortunately, the disease is new in the country and determining which information is true hasn’t been a cup of tea. While this has been a hard nut to crack, the information from the World Health Organization has helped to shed light on the virus as a whole. Therefore, a lot of information have been considered stereotypical in nature. Some of the stereotypes are:

    • COVID-19 is a punishment from God

    A number of students on campus have held to the fact that the virus is a punishment from God as a result of the wicked ways of mankind. This cannot be proven in any scientific ways. Science relies on facts. It can be true on religious grounds but still can not be classified and documented in the World Health Organization’s sets of information.

    • Young people can not be killed by the virus.

    Well, this has been the worst stereotype of all time if we say so. A number of young people on campus still believe that corona virus can not kill young people. This was after the ministry of health declared the aged among the vulnerable groups of people. The fact is, Corona virus is a killer virus and can kill anyone.

    • COVID-19 is a curse.

    This has been a traditional belief on various natural occurrences like drought, floods, locusts etc. the onset of the virus was a new item on the black book of curses amongst various communities. A good number of people still believe that those that are infected by the virus have been cursed. This can be due to their ‘wicked’ ways.

    Corona virus is a new disease and we are still struggling to separate facts from lies. For as much as there is inadequate information, we should refrain from forming our own ideas about the virus. We should rely on WHO’s information which is science based and factual. Mis conceptualizing a new virus can be disastrous. Awareness is still being created across the region and worldwide as far as the virus is concerned.


    Comments

    1. UnknownJanuary 3, 2021 at 12:42 PM

      This nice

      ReplyDelete
    2. Jeptoo CarenJanuary 3, 2021 at 4:37 PM

      I have heard most of these stereotypes and the one I almost believed is it does not kill young people because from the onset it was just the old ones until when in the news there were 19,10 and even less than 1 year old. This is good work I just hope people will listen and stop forming their own ideas..

      ReplyDelete
    3. Godfrey MarigaJanuary 3, 2021 at 7:57 PM

      Some says coronavirus is not for Africans which is irrelevant cause we have witnessed africans dying

      ReplyDelete

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