Sony has revealed that they are withdrawing from PAX East in Boston due to the generalized concern of the COVID-19 also known as the novel coronavirus.
Whether you want to believe it or not, it has happened, and it seems that Sony hasn’t really come to understand just how the coronavirus actually works or the looming statistics behind more common viruses that pose greater health threats than the aforementioned does.
If you’ve ever been to a convention, you already know you will have the looming fear of getting the “con-crud”, “con-plague” or the “con-flu” as many of us refer to it as. Sadly, I’ve gotten all three before and guess what? They were common viruses and bacteria we run into day in and day out: Flu, strep throat, the common cold, and, well, yep, all three at once.
Over the past six years, I’ve attended many more events ranging from Oklahoma City/Tulsa Wizard World, QuakeCon, Super Bitcon!, and plenty of others in the local area (even our local one: Lexicon). However, now there’s a looming fear, which as weird as it sounds, is being seen as a much bigger threat than it is: Coronavirus.
While human bodies packed into a large area that’s making us walking panzer tanks of germs, there are ways to go about this, which is actually weird since, well, there’s already been a couple of PAX conventions since the outbreak and no one – literally – no one, got sick with COVID-19.
“Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment made the decision to cancel its participation at PAX East in Boston this year due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as “novel coronavirus”). We felt this was the safest option as the situation is changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation in this event, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern,” states Sony’s Content Communications manager, Justin Massongill.
But if you go online, do a bit of research, you’ll find that you’re more likely to get the every-day flu than COVID-19 due to how low-risk it is in the states. Don’t believe me? Charles C. Bailey an MD specializing in infectious diseases at St. Joseph Hospital, told Healthline that exact information, “So far this season in the U.S. [there’s been] a mortality rate from flu-like illnesses and pneumonia of around 7 percent. This should be compared to the 11 cases so far documented for 2019-coronavirus with no deaths. Clearly, if there’s no panic concerning the current flu season which is a fairly normal one, panic over domestic 2019-coronavirus situation doesn’t seem justified at present.”
Well, if you had PAX East plans for the Sony booth, it looks like you’ll have to find something else to occupy your time with. Also, don’t forget, you can also prep yourself with these few essential items we highly recommend any event goer takes:
-Emergen-C
-Hand sanitizer (use this religiously)
-Kleenex’s
-Hand wipes (yep, this is crucial)
-Deodorant (if you can afford a convention, you can afford this)
While the few things listed above won’t save you from exposure to – well – coronavirus, it will help you out, just a bit. Just remember, wash your hands, and use your hand sanitizer or wipes after you touch something thousands of others have.
About the Writer(s):
Dustin is our native video game reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook where he interacts with his followers quite a bit!