If you’ve been seeing dumb people on your Instagram stories proving just how uninformed they are by sharing their xenophobic and bigoted comments about China due to Hantavirus, this link is for you.

The world is already under severe strain due to the novel coronavirus that has claimed thousands of lives and led to countrywide lockdowns. The economy which was already on saline treatment is dying a slow death. And yet, the best thing people can do is hate on other people? Wow.

Anyway, the hantavirus started trending on Twitter after Chinese state media tweeted about one person in the country dying due to the virus. However, hantavirus is nothing new and has been around for years. It is found in rodents and human to human transmission is extremely rare.

“Hantaviruses in the Americas are known as “New World” hantaviruses and may cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Other hantaviruses, known as “Old World” hantaviruses, are found mostly in Europe and Asia and may cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS),” the Centre for Disease Control website says.The CDC also notes that, to date, “no cases of HPS (hantavirus pulmonary syndrome) have been reported in the United States in which the virus was transmitted from one person to another.”

Unless you’re living in an area with a massive rodent infestation, you’ll be fine as long as you keep up with the cleanliness guidelines that you’ve been asked to follow in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.