False: There is hysteria during the current outbreak of coronavirus, whereas people were calm and collected during the H1N1 outbreak during Obama's presidency.

By: Ranjini K
May 15 2020

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A report by the Journal of Risk Research proves that media coverage and public reaction to that H1N1 outbreak was not calm either.According to WHO, the number of coronavirus cases in the United States was 1678 and 41 deaths as on 14 March 2020. It is an ongoing pandemic, and the number of cases has been rising each day. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 60.8 million estimated cases, 274,304 hospitalised and 12,469 deaths that took place in the United States from 12 April 2009 to 10 April 2010 which was caused due to H1N1 virus. It was first diagnosed in the United States and spread rapidly across the U.S and around the world. Reuters article on 15 March 2020 explained that people were in buying mode as panic set in and there was a shortage of items everywhere due to the coronavirus pandemic. Journal of Risk Research in its report on Media Dramatization of 2009 H1N1 outbreak concluded that mass news coverage was dramatic and contributed to heightened risk perceptions and unbalanced emphasis on the threat of H1N1. CNN too had published an article on the public's response to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic which said people and communities were panicking when the outbreak happened in 2009. Hence, to say that the situation was normal during the H1N1 outbreak when Obama was the president is false. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.