Orthohantavirus, but mostly known as hantavirus, is a group of viruses carried by rodents. Each rodent can carry a different gene of hantavirus. There are many ways that hantavirus can infect people; these ways are usually caused by getting bitten by a rodent or being in contact with an environment where rodents usually stay. 

How this mass hysteria of the hantavirus started was when a cruise ship caught the virus. Since everyone saw what COVID did to the world, people wanted the ship to be quarantined. Officials did not try to isolate this cruise ship, though; they instead let the people who had this strain of the virus get off the ship.

Usually, hantavirus isn’t as serious as the world is making it, because you can generally only get it from rodents. This rare strain of the virus is called the Andes virus, also known as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, and it makes it so you can get it just by being near an infected person, meaning that this virus is very easy to catch. However, this contact is limited to close contact according to the Centers for Disease Control. This rare strain of the virus is commonly carried by the deer mouse, and it is very easy to catch because this strain of the virus is airborne through recent rodent droppings, on top of the usual ways of catching the strain as well. 

There is very limited treatment for the hantavirus, so the best way to stay safe from this virus is to avoid areas that have rodents. Since there is not much we can do about the virus until we find a cure, try to avoid getting sick from this virus, as it has flu-like symptoms, just like COVID. This strain also causes very bad heart and lung problems if it stays in your system for a while. Stay safe and try to avoid getting infected by this virus.