Fear takes the shape of unknown, rare and new phenomena, and the diffusion of the Coronavirus has precisely these characteristics. The mechanism is the same of the plane/car case: we are scared of flying by plane while we feel more safe in the car because driving it is under our control. However, statistics confirm that the risk of mortal accidents are exponentially higher driving a car than taking as plane. The aim of this dialogue is offering "key takeaway" to avoid either overestimation or underestimation of the problem 

1. Stick to the facts, i.e. the objective danger 

The Coronavirus is a contagious virus, however as pointed out by a WHO source, out of 100 people who get sick, 80 recover spontaneously, while 15 present problems manageable by healthcare system. Only 5 out of 100 have more serious problems, and among these the number of deaths is about 2.5, generally involving patients with pre-existing relevant diseases.

2. Do not confuse a single cause with a collateral damage

3. The more people panic, the less they pay attention to objective data. Accordingly, judgement capacity may weaken

4. Balance fear and objective risk

Public indignation enhanced by the media accentuates some fears, such as those related to terrorist attacks and armed criminals. This fact leads us to underestimate other objective dangers to which we are accustomed. The characteristics of coronavirus panic bring this phenomenon closer to the sudden and impressive phenomena that induce panic by raising public indignation.

5. Stop making people we care about invulnerable

We are concerned about our own and our loved ones vulnerability. However, the obsessive search for invulnerability is counter-productive, because it makes us excessively fearful. In addition, we become unable to face future challenges because we over concentrate on ourselves.