Stephen King reassures fans that COVID-19 is nothing like The Stand

Since the coronavirus everywhere in the news right now, it’s not surprising that people have started comparing it to Stephen King’s The Stand.

Stephen King’s hit novel The Stand is making a comeback right now thanks to two huge factors: the coronavirus scare, and the fact a television miniseries is in the works.

Recently, actor James Marsden — who is starring in CBS All Access’ adaptation of The Stand — said that coronavirus is eerily mirroring the virus in the book known as “Project Blue.” He isn’t the first person to make this comparison, either.

Many of Stephen King’s fans have been theorizing whether The Stand predicted COVID-19 or if it could be considered some kind of guide for how to act in the midst of the potential pandemic.

However, the author himself strongly disagrees that coronavirus is anything like the virulent strain of influenza in his book. He took to his Twitter account yesterday to issue a tweet to reassure his antsy followers.

“It’s eminently survivable,” he wrote.

While it is true that COVID-19 has a rather high fatality rate, it is also true that the majority of people who are infected only experience a mild illness and have recovered fast. King’s advice is solid and echoes the sentiments of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the top advisors agree that people should stay alert and not panic.

In The Stand, all of humanity is brought to the brink of extinction after a strain of the flu is modified through biological tampering and becomes an apocalyptic pandemic that kills off 99% of the world’s population. The coronavirus is nowhere near that dire.

The Stand is one of many pop culture properties becoming popular again in the midst of the COVID-19 panic. The 2011 medical thriller Contagion has also seen a resurgence in popularity given the somewhat similar aspects of the film and our current health climate.

The Stand miniseries will eventually premiere on CBS All Access, but we don’t have a premiere date just yet.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.