Do Your Own Research!

There is a metric fuckton of bad information, misleading information, and straight up false information circulating online about the pandemic.  I don't even want to check social media anymore because it is so frustrating to see people actually believing the crap they share and the nightly news isn't much better.

While you may not want to do a deep dive into applied epidemiology and biostatistics, you should be aware of the people who are tasked with providing you information (the dog guy? really?), and on the conspiracy side, check out who seems to be benefiting the most from this disaster (billionaires? color me not surprised).

Also, while I wouldn't suggest believing everything you read on conspiracy boards (I wouldn't even suggest reading these boards very often unless you want to damage your mental health) and the contrarian side brings even more questionable information, I would suggest checking and double checking any information you receive about the pandemic.  Also note that with any novel virus, factual information may be changing daily due to the nature of new and emerging issues with the virus.

As you know, scaring the public is part and parcel of the media these days (if it bleeds, it leads) so instead of getting your information from the news, look at reliable sources, use DuckDuckGo when confirming information, and check multiple sources when looking for the answer to your questions.

It's really easy to jump on the bandwagon and follow whoever seems to be yelling the loudest but it pays to do your own research, make your own decisions based on science, and agree to not have an opinion on things if there isn't enough science backing up the information you have.

Most importantly, keep your head down and your pantry stocked...I believe we will all be in for a long ride with this situation.