Shunning
This one took me completely by surprise. People who have not had the SARS-CoV-2 virus are rejecting, ostracizing, stigmatizing, and shunning those who have recovered from it.
Read any of the press accounts listed below and you will appreciate the suddenness, strength, and apparently deeply unconscious origins of this widespread reaction in what seem to be otherwise normal people.
The first article, from Psychology Today, sets the stage. It recounts similar experiences of survivors of the MERS epidemic earlier in the century (MERS is another coronavirus, a cousin of SARS-CoV-2).
I will be writing more about this. For now, have a look at some of these stories. The one in the New York Times from two days ago brought wider attention to the issue.
- Mar. 11 (Psychology Today): Surviving a Coronavirus, Only to Be Socially Shunned
- Apr. 04 (Santa Fe New Mexican): Social stigma compounds coronavirus problems
- Apr. 06 (Harvard Business Review): Don’t Let Fear of Covid-19 Turn into Stigma
- Apr. 08 (Insider): Coronavirus-free couple from the Diamond Princess say they still receive threats and face stigma
- Apr. 18 (LA Times): The scarlet C: Coronavirus survivors face the stigma and discrimination
- May 12 (YouTube): People Shunned Michael Yo After He Recovered from Coronavirus
- May 20 (NY Times): They Beat the Virus. Now They Feel Like Outcasts.
- May 21 (NBC New York): Even After COVID-19 Recovery, Survivors Say Others Still Treat Them ‘Like a Leper’
Looking forward to reading and learning more about this: just when one thought it couldn’t get too much worse. And after all that these people who had the illness have already gone through…
I have a work colleague who had it, recovered and then had himself tested again. It showed he has antibodies against the virus. He’s smart enough to know he needs to continue being vigilant and is looking into how his status can be of help to others such as researchers.
That’s great. Some of the people in the press accounts also wanted to “give back” via their special status and were hurt by the seemingly instinctive revulsion of those they encountered. Personally, if a friend who had demonstrably recovered showed up at my door, I would probably give them a big hug. Have not had that pleasure with anyone but my wife for 60+ days now.
Earlier this month it came out that the US military — prompted by the Defense Department — is disqualifying anyone who has ever tested positive for Covid-19 from enlisting.