Letters | Coronarvirus has sparked a racism pandemic that no vaccine can end

Since Covid-19 first broke out, human interaction has been drastically altered by the series of preventive measures imposed by governments to battle the pandemic. The implementation of social distancing or lockdowns has forced people to largely stay in contact through social media, which has indirectly increased the impact of fake news.

Misled by the misinformation, people across the world have come to believe that other countries need to be held responsible for the coronavirus, feelings which have fuelled nationalism and racial discrimination. We might even say an epidemic of racism has quietly broken out.

On March 17, eight people were killed in shootings in Atlanta in the US state of Georgia. Most of the victims were women of Asian descent.

Even though the criminal suspect claimed that the shooting was not “racially motivated”, it reveals the plight of Asian-Americans. A recently released study documented 3,795 racially motivated attacks against Asian-Americans from last March to February.

Former US president Donald Trump played a role in fanning the flames, spreading hatred by frequently using the term “Chinese virus” during his election campaign. Maybe his real goal was to project a powerful image in the US-China conflict. However, his statements undermined national unity and incited racial discrimination. His influence continues to be a danger to American society even after his departure from office.