If You Think People Are The Worst These Days, These 40 Wholesome Pics May Change Your Mind

It's worth mentioning that most people with COVID-19 recover. Current estimates suggest that 99% of people infected will beat it. Some people even don't experience any of the symptoms at all. Yes, thousands have died, but the overall death rate is about 1% (or perhaps even lower), far less than MERS (about 34%), SARS (about 11%), or Ebola (90%), though a lot higher than the average seasonal flu (0.1%). Condolences to all the lives lost to this illness, and we should expect many more cases, but if we were to isolate the fatality rates, it could be far worse.

Also, scientists have found out how the novel coronavirus breaks into human cells. This will significantly help to develop treatments. It began when researchers revealed the first picture of how the novel coronavirus binds with human respiratory cells to produce more viruses. The scientists in China then solidified the images all the way down to the level of the atoms at the binding points. With this news, understanding how the virus enters cells will significantly aid researchers in finding drugs and vaccines to fight the virus.

A good example of this also comes from China where local medical authorities reported that a drug used in Japan to treat new strains of influenza appeared to be effective in coronavirus patients. Zhang Xinmin, an official at China's science and technology ministry, said favipiravir, developed by a subsidiary of Fujifilm, had produced promising results in clinical trials in Wuhan and Shenzhen involving 340 patients.

Next, humanity's response to future pandemics should improve. "The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed shortcomings in healthcare systems throughout the world that provide an opportunity to improve them," Robert H. Shmerling, MD, wrote in the Harvard Health Blog. "For example, a faster global response, better and quicker distribution of testing kits, and more coordinated and coherent public messaging should be expected the next time around. (No guarantees, of course.)"

The new coronavirus epidemic is a huge problem that's probably only gonna get bigger in the following weeks and months. For those who are infected and those trying to avoid infection, these are definitely tough times. But, as Shmerling put it, "Amid all the doom and gloom, there are some positive stories, positive messages and reasons to remain hopeful."