Why is the reaction to coronavirus different than swine flu? (Opinion)

I don't know if you can remember as far back as 2009-2010. That winter we had something called the "swine-flu" or H1N1 virus. It caused 12,469 deaths and infected 61 million people here in the United States alone! It made the news. Some people were concerned. Health warnings were issued, but very few people panicked. So what's different? Is it social media? Mainstream media desperate for a President to fail at any cost?

My mom is in a senior living center and of course I will take precautions to make sure she is safe and not infected. But the level of hype doesn't add up if you compare it to other "pandemics" and other rates of illness or death from a variety of causes. We should all use caution and best practices when it comes to the health and safety of ourselves and our families. The biggest epidemic right now is panic and hysteria.

More from New Jersey 101.5:

​