Editing 2282: Coronavirus Worries

{{comic
| number    = 2282
| date      = March 18, 2020
| title     = Coronavirus Worries
| image     = coronavirus_worries.png
| titletext = Offscreen, bottom left: Whether the custom :coronavirus: Slack react emoji you just added was public domain or whether you should have put a Creative Commons credit somewhere
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is the eighth comic in a row in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] about the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}. 

[[Randall]] has created a {{w|scatter plot}} graph showing "more common" worries versus the "more healthy" worries. Presumably, "more healthy" refers to more important things to worry about concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. From this graph, Randall notes that the "more healthy" concerns are not necessarily the ones that are the most common.

On the left side of the graph, signifying "less common" worries/concerns are concerns relating to the drinking of water, and resting. Drinking water (staying hydrated) and getting enough sleep each night are important ways to fight off disease, and they're things that almost everyone can take direct action on, so this is marked as one of the most healthy things to worry about.  In [[2281: Coronavirus Research]], [[Megan]] shows signs that she (like many) has not been taking care to get enough sleep.  However, not drinking enough water and not sleeping enough are not likely to cause coronavirus specifically, so that particular worry is marked as one of the least healthy.

In the middle of the graph are "medium common" worries/concerns. The "most healthy" or vital concerns are being able to stay home and the ability for friends and family to stay home. Across much of the world, public gatherings have been discouraged, including requiring many workers to {{w|telecommute}}. This is following the principle of {{w|social distancing}}, to slow the spread of COVID-19. These are considered very healthy concerns to be having.

Below these two concerns is concern about the government response, specifically if the government is "reacting wrong". Many world governments have been criticized for inadequate responses to the pandemic. However, even if the government's response (or lack of response) is incorrect, it is not something that most people can control directly, nor should it prevent people from taking care of the more healthy concerns about staying home and staying well-hydrated and well-rested, which is why this worry is marked as being only moderately healthy.  Even less important than the government response is worrying about the reactions of random people featured in news stories (who are most likely featured specifically because their behavior is extreme or aberrant) or {{w|Internet trolls}} or people who have different opinions to you in the story's comments section.

A more common concern listed is "whether you are getting enough work done". Telecommuting (working from home) may be less productive than working at the normal office, so Randall or others may be concerned about their work productivity.  For people working in industries that directly affect the health and well-being of others, such as medicine, this is a fair concern (and many of the event cancellations and other responses are intended to make their jobs easier), but in general, this is a much less healthy concern than staying home and well-rested.

The most common and least important concern according to Randall is "whether you have the virus because you just coughed and last week you touched a doorknob". Though it is an important to be concerned about catching the coronavirus, simply coughing a few times or "touching a doorknob" are unlikely reasons to suspect having COVID-19. Most cases of COVID-19 do include a cough, and the disease can be latent for over a week before showing symptoms, but also include other symptoms, including fever and difficulty breathing.

The title text lists an uncommon, unimportant concern: the copyright status of a "coronavirus emoji". The {{w|Creative Commons license}} is a license allowing for fair use of published work (and presumably emojis)  that are otherwise copyrighted. Something that is in {{w|public domain}} has no copyright protection on it, and can be used freely. Presumably, this is a concern that only Randall has, making it uncommon. It is also relatively unimportant in the greater scheme of the COVID-19 pandemic.

==Transcript==
:[A scatter-plot, with 8 labeled dots. Both axis are labeled with text beneath the X-axis and to the left of the Y-axis. Arrows are pointing to the right from the X- axis and up from the Y-xis. The dots are scattered from left to right and top to bottom, but there are some grouping of the labels with two to the left, four in the middle and two to the right. But the dots they belong to are more scattered than this. Here below all labels are given, first for the axis, and then for each dot in approximately normal reading order from the left column to the right column:]
:Y-axis: More healthy
:X-axis: More common

:[Top left]: Whether you're remembering to drink water and rest
:[Very bottom, near left]: Whether forgetting to drink water or rest will make you get the coronavirus
:[Very top, near right]: Whether you're able to stay home
:[Top leaning, right]: Whether your friends and family are able to stay home
:[Middle, leaning right]: Whether your government is reacting wrong
:[Very bottom center]: Whether random people in a news story are reacting wrong
:[Toward bottom right]: Whether you're getting enough work done
:[Very bottom right]: Whether you have the virus because you just coughed and last week you touched a doorknob

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Scatter plots]]