One of the glaring facts being overlooked in the debate on the novel coronavirus is that far more people recover from it than those who die. Indeed, governments across the world have been at pains to emphasise that the virus is not a death sentence.

However, the fact that at present there is no known cure or drug to treat COVID-19 is, we believe, a major driving factor of the fear surrounding the disease.

But, as we have been consistently stating in this space, we should not let fear dictate our response to this virus.

Fear was a factor in the most unfortunate death of Ms Jodian Fearon. Fear is at the heart of the discrimination being experienced by COVID-19 patients, their families, anyone believed to be infected, as well as health care workers.

Fear is also a factor in the response of some people to this newspaper’s insistence that the Government needs to establish a timeline for a reopening of the economy. However, as the late United States President Franklin Roosevelt stated in his inauguration address in 1932, fear should not be allowed to paralyse the needed effort to convert retreat into advance.

In the present circumstances, we need to do more than walk and chew gum, we must become more adept at juggling. For if we sit and await a vaccine or drug to treat this virus we will be creating a problem worse than the disease and more hardship.

The fact is that people need to get back to work to be able to provide for themselves and their families. A country locked in the grip of fear cannot provide that security for its citizens.

We therefore must come to terms with the fact that, until a vaccine or suitable treatment is found and approved, we are going to have to live with this virus while observing all the protocols that deny it the opportunity to spread.

Outside of the spike in cases in St Catherine, Jamaicans have, in general so far, been observing those protocols. Additionally, the health authorities, in tandem with the Government, have been doing a fairly good job of keeping the country updated and implementing effective measures to combat this coronavirus. That fact is evident when a comparison is made with the experience of other countries in this region based on population.

Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of the seven Jamaicans who have succumbed to COVID-19. At the same time, we are thankful that 29 of our own people have so far recovered from the disease, and we offer our prayers for a speedy recovery of the 328 fellow citizens who remain in the column of those tested positive.

The task for the health authorities now is to increase even further the number of COVID-19 tests being done. Equally, we as citizens who have a vested interest in the survival of this country need to play our role in preventing the virus from spreading.

At the same time, the Government must move towards a responsible, controlled reopening of the economy. No one wants to experience another depression.

Having done so well in handling the pandemic in Jamaica, the Government must once again take the lead in getting the country back on its feet.