BY DEVON LUMBAO-CONRADSON

Corona Virus is on the rise in the United States and is well on its way to becoming a global pandemic. Countries are closing their borders, governments are urging their people to either remain at home or avoid as much physical contact with others as possible, and companies that produce face masks are seeing increasing profit margins.

Should we panic, be concerned, or carry on with life as we know it?

For expert advice and opinions on the Corona Virus, please pay close attention to the CDC and health professionals with MDs or PhDs in this area. Though, a degree isn’t necessary to realize the following:

If you are someone who is privileged or lucky enough to have decent medical insurance and you’re under the age of 70, you have nothing to worry about with regards to the rising epidemic. Maybe you’ll catch it, but you’ll recover with your health insurance and your worst concern will probably be the stock market and the global economy. But, if you are this privileged, then you should take a step back and reevaluate your view on politics.

If people have health insurance, they’re less likely to go bankrupt by seeking medical assistance and are more likely to be diagnosed for something like the Corona virus and treated. This prevents the spread of the virus and keeps everyone safer.

But the fact that the United States is so behind on this issue puts everyone at greater risk. The Corona Virus will hit people without decent medical insurance harder than anyone else. As a result, the virus will become more infectious spreading easier and farther. This means that the virus will have a greater opportunity to mutate and build up resistance to whatever we throw at it meaning that everyone, regardless of medical insurance, could be at risk.

Now, don’t panic! This is assuming the worst: that our government isn’t able to contain it, treat it properly, and/or that the virus has a high mutation rate. But, the president’s attitude towards the spread of the virus not only shows that he’s been privileged enough throughout his life so as not to worry about the spread of something like the Corona Virus, it also goes to show that he lacks the insight to properly defend us from something like it.

Our government is there to defend us from threats such as these, and the greatest defense to pandemics is universal healthcare.

If you can’t find the compassion in your heart to forgo the “free handouts” way of thinking and believe that universal healthcare is a human right, then you should at least find it in your fear to promote universal healthcare.