COVID-19: The best marketing ever
Unless you’ve been living on another planet, you know what COVID-19 is, and you are familiar with phrases like flattening the curve, social distancing, and shelter-in-place. If you’re lucky, you work for an essential business. You may be using “Zoom” as a verb. Perhaps you have more than one designer mask. I’m not interested in dissecting what COVID-19 is. What I want to figure out is why we have changed our lives seemingly overnight for a virus.
Except for the lack of travel, my day-to-day life hasn’t changed much. I already work from home. I’ve been a Zoom user and client for many years. I’m fortunate enough not to have small children who need to be home-schooled and entertained throughout the day. Though if a needy cat and spoiled dog count, I have two kids.
I don’t consider myself at-risk though my primary care physician says my immune system sucks. I don’t have the best lungs; my colds turn into bronchitis. I tend to get sick when I travel. Since the conferences and events I was supposed to attend have been canceled, I’m not worried about my health. I’ve only had the flu one time in my life. I don’t expect I will become ill from COVID-19 or any other type of virus.
However, no traveling = no events = no speaking engagements = less income. In that respect, I can relate. I’m staying positive and doing my best to avoid the doom and gloomers who seem to dominate every type of media I normally consume. I wash my hands more often, but I don’t wear a mask. I go outside as much as I like, but I respect social distancing. I refuse to stop living my life, but I don’t tell other people how to live.
“[Due to the pandemic] Anxiety overload, bills are piling up, I have no clue what day it is, depression is setting in!”
Spanish Flu spread around the world. Approximately, 20% – 40% of the world's population became sick. — Photo by DarioStudios
Pandemics happen
1918: Spanish Flu
Pandemics are not new. The Spanish Flu, which didn’t come from Spain, infected 500 million people, but most of them survived. While quarantines occurred in many cities, the government downplayed the flu so it didn’t get as much press. They wanted to avoid panic. They wanted the public to remain calm.
Memorable Pandemics
Spanish flu, Influenza A virus subtype HIN1 from 1918 – 1920 killed 17 – 100 million worldwide
Asian Flu, Influenza A virus subtype H2N2 from 1957 – 1958 killed 1 – 4 million worldwide
SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome from 2002 – 2004 killed 774 people worldwide
Swine Flu, H1N1/09 virus from 2009 – 2010 killed 151,700 – 575,400 people worldwide
MERS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome from 2012 – present has killed 862 people worldwide as of January 13, 2020
Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa from 2013 – 2016 killed 11,300 people worldwide
Zika virus epidemic from 2015 – 2016 killed ~53 people worldwide (keep reading to find out what my doctor thinks about the Zika epidemic)
2020: COVID-19
Coronavirus, COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 from 2019 – present has killed 182,992 people worldwide as of April 22
Is COVID-19 another Spanish or Asian Flu? Will it kill millions of people? OR is it more like the Swine Flu which killed up to half a million people? I don’t think anyone really knows the answer. The models have been wrong. One thing is certain … if the number of people who died in New York had died in Montana, no one would care. (Sorry, Montana, but it’s true.)
“After careful review, we regret we are unable to offer your client coverage. This policy has been declined due to current mortality concerns related to COVID-19.”
A Doctor’s Point of View
Earlier this week, I had an appointment with my gynecologist whom I’ll call Dr. Coffer. He immediately apologized for wearing a mask, something he had not done when I saw him two months ago. After a quick exam, I asked him point blank, what do you think about this pandemic? I mean, really?
Whether it was purposeful or not, Dr. Coffer thinks COVID-19 is a combination of population control and/or biological warfare. He considers himself a skeptic by nature and he became more skeptical when he heard millions of cell phone services were canceled in China. He is correct about this fact. According to AP, China has reported a loss of almost 21 million cell phone subscriptions in January and February. They do not attribute it to any deaths caused by COVID-19 only changes in lifestyle.
Dr. Coffer doesn’t trust the World Health Organization. He used to trust the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) until the Zika virus epidemic happened causing pregnant women around the world to panic. The Zika virus can cause birth defects including microcephaly. He said the data used to spread fear about the Zika virus was based on six Peruvian women from the same tribe in the jungle. Upon a quick search, I found several studies about a group of Peruvian women. Despite active Zika infections, their newborns did not experience any birth defects. None. Nada. “To date, no pregnancy complications or congenital microcephaly have been attributed to a ZIKV infection in Peru, according to the Peruvian Ministry of Health.” Is it possible we overreacted to Zika? Probably. But I digress.
Dr. Coffer did assert that the COVID-19 virus seems to mutate faster so there is some justification for social distancing but he thinks it’s gone too far. For example, Dr. Coffer diagnosed a patient with breast cancer in October. Though she is no longer undergoing treatment, he is monitoring her carefully. When she called about another possible lump, he explained the risk to her if she came into the office; he cannot feel the lump through a computer. (Telehealth will not solve all of our problems. We will still need to see our doctors.) She understood the risks and went into the office if only to relieve her anxiety. The good news is she is fine. The bad news is Dr. Coffer’s business partner yelled at him for seeing a cancer patient in his office. Really!?!
Dr. Coffer knows about my businesses and he knows how deeply I care about cancer patients and caregivers. When I told him stories about cancer patients not getting treatments and surgeries they need (some postponed indefinitely), he said it’s happening everywhere. That’s why he wanted to see the one patient in his office because it was something he could control. He has little control over surgeries being canceled or treatments being delayed. His frustration was palpable.
“This pandemic means a shortage of Plaquenil the main drug utilized to treat and manage my daughter’s serious systemic autoimmune disease. We have had to ration and adjust her dosage to stretch the medication while hoping that it still manages her symptoms. I’ve adhered to the governor’s strict guidelines to isolate because of my daughter’s chronic condition.”
I asked him if he believed that older people and people with comorbidities (more than one chronic disease) were the ones most likely to die from COVID-19. “Absolutely, he replied. And no one is talking about it.” Comorbidities can include hypertension, diabetes, COPD, cancer, obesity. In New York state, just over 86% of reported COVID-19 deaths involved at least one comorbidity, according to the state’s department of health.
Dr. Coffer added one more thing that is happening at University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB), an NCI-designated cancer center. Doctors are being pressured to list COVID-19 as the cause of death without testing post-mortem. This situation is not unique to UAB or Alabama. Read COVID-19 death certificate change stirs controversy. I cannot imagine being a doctor and being cajoled into guessing about the cause of death at best or lying at worst.
Ultimately, Dr. Coffer believes China has achieved three key goals:
Stopped the anti-communist Hong Kong protests
Eliminated an older aging population that their economy cannot support
Wrecked the U.S. and European economies
Whether you’re liberal or conservative, it’s hard to argue with those facts. I don’t know and don’t care about Dr. Coffer’s politics. President Trump never came up in our conversation. The aging population issue never occurred to me, but I follow the Hong Kong protests on Instagram. Also, I’m stunned by how quickly our economy has collapsed.
“We should all be happy about this [COVID-19]. There’s nothing like a good pandemic to kick your business model into high gear.”
Different Perspectives
One thing I have noticed is how every person’s perspective is different. Where I live in Birmingham, it’s become a ghost town. Except for the occasional thunderstorm, it’s quiet. Almost too quiet. When school was first canceled there were more kids playing outside and adults walking their dogs. Now, we have the park to ourselves. In the South, people are friendly so it’s disconcerting when people walk away from you. I’m not only a hand shaker, but I’m also a hugger. I feel very disconnected from the world.
However, one colleague of mine who lives in Marin County, California, loves his new world. He cherishes his time and freedom. He hikes with his kids every day. He says his neighbors are friendlier. It’s like he’s having the opposite experience that I’m having. I live in a friendly place where people are too scared to be friendly. He lives in one of the most expensive places in the U.S. where people judge you by car you drive and the house you live in. Now his community cares less about status and more about people. I believe it helps that my colleague still has his job and has no worries about losing it. Like many people, he lives in a bubble.
“Screening is being underused/delayed and treatment plans are being modified given bed shortages in some locations and to mitigate exposure to health systems (e.g., oral agents instead of infusions). ”
Additionally, I don’t think my colleague understands how many people are not getting the care they need. The only way to get bumped to the front of the line is to test positive for COVID-19. Otherwise, you’re SOL. I admit I am biased. My big WHY in life is to advocate for cancer patients and caregivers. Every day I hear a story about a patient not being able to access treatment. A stage IV colorectal cancer patient told me her cataract surgery was canceled indefinitely; she will become blind. Her chemotherapy may be delayed, too. Despite her public outcry on Twitter, nothing has changed … because she doesn’t have COVID-19.
The American Cancer Society just released the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Cancer Patients and Survivors survey of over 1200 participants. Key findings include:
50% of cancer patients and survivors reported some impact to their healthcare due COVID-19
27% of patients who are currently in active treatment report a delay to their treatment, and more than 1 in 8 of those in active treatment have had care delayed without knowledge of when it will be rescheduled
38% reported a notable impact on their financial situation that affects their ability to pay for care
“There are millions [cancer patients] suffering. We’re going to be seeing the consequences [of delayed/canceled care] for years to come.”
The best marketing ever
Were you as surprised as I was that SARS has killed less than 800 people? What about MERS killing less than 900 people? Or Zika with approximately 53 deaths? My partner didn’t believe me. He thought I was missing a few zeroes. Look it up. No wonder my doctor was irritated by the CDC’s handling of Zika and skeptical about COVID-19. Why is there so much noise about certain viruses and not others? Marketing. And media.
Fear sells
Today, our 24-hour news cycle and non-stop social media channels need constant content to stay relevant. And nothing sells like fear. Fear sells better than love. Fear sells better than sex. Humans will take greater risks to avoid loss than they will to make gains. That’s why fear is a great sales tool. It works on everyone.
I understand every human life is valuable, but I don’t think we should stop living because we may die from a virus. We are all going to die. Every single one of us. For some perspective, consider these numbers from CDC in 2017
854,390 Americans died from heart disease
599, 108 Americans died from cancer
169,136 Americans died from accidents
More people die from heart disease, cancer, and accidents in this country than will ever die from COVID-19, but since it is a contagious virus, people are terrified. If we didn’t have a 24-hour news cycle, if social media didn’t exist, I believe we would have a more nuanced and balanced response to this outbreak. Instead, we have to listen to Chris Cuomo’s woes as he holes up in his basement, which he claims he never left (he did—it’s on camera) to protect his wife, children, and the public.
Stanford University professor of medicine Dr. Jay Bhattacharya says that “Per case, I don't think it's as deadly as people thought.” Dr. Scott W. Atlas, former chief of neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center, states we are prolonging the problem. Total isolation policies prevent vital population immunity.
To be clear, we shut down our economy for a virus, and we’re making the problem worse! Over 26 million Americans have filed for unemployment over a five-week period. When I expressed my concerns to another entrepreneur, she suggested that I focus on the fact we are working together as a country by staying home and not spreading the virus.
I wanted to engage in a deep discussion about herd immunity but instead I replied, “I see businesses that will never open again. I know people who have lost their jobs. I feel that people’s livelihoods may be lost forever.” She frowned but didn’t respond.
Economics aside, COVID-19 will cause suffering and deaths that will be impossible to measure. “People are dying because other medical care is not getting done due to hypothetical projections,” according to Dr. Atlas.
How many people will die because they were unable to access treatment (e.g., kidney disease, diabetes, cancer)?
How many people will become chronically depressed (because they lost their jobs) and become dependent on welfare?
How many people will commit suicide because they lost their life savings due to the economic collapse? (It happened in 2008/2009.)
How many people will turn to drugs and alcohol to numb their feelings and become dependent on those substances? Read America is drinking its way through the coronavirus crisis.
And for what? A virus.
“Fighting not to win but to avoid losing is a losing strategy.”
