Posted on 03/04/2020 12:18:13 PM PST by SeekAndFind
The coronavirus outbreak came in the middle of flu season in the Northern Hemisphere.
Many people have highlighted the overlapping symptoms of the flu and COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Even President Donald Trump asked pharmaceutical execs if the flu vaccine could be used to stop the coronavirus.
But Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, warned against taking such comparisons too far.
"This virus is not SARS, it's not MERS, and it's not influenza," Ghebreyesus said in a press conference on Tuesday. "It is a unique virus with unique characteristics."
The most crucial difference between the flu and the coronavirus is that the latter has been far deadlier. Whereas about 0.1% of people who get the flu die, the coronavirus' death rate is now at about 3.4%, based on the current numbers of cases and deaths.
The fatality rate of the novel coronavirus is still evolving, however, as more cases are confirmed. Many health experts believe that the rate will drop as the number of cases rises. That's because an estimated 80% of coronavirus cases are mild, and patients checking into hospitals have the most severe symptoms. People with symptoms mild enough to recover at home without seeking medical treatment aren't counted in the official totals.
The novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, in December has killed over 3,200 people and infected nearly 94,000 people, mostly in China. It has spread to at least 80 other countries. The US has confirmed more than 125 cases and at least nine deaths.
Older people are far likelier to die from the coronavirus than younger people, and the same is true for the flu — though not to the same extent.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Gee, yet another COVID thread (YACT).
This is useful. However, the stats are international in nature and may not reflect the actual odds in your particular area.
Sorry, I reached peak COVID about two weeks ago. I can’t read one more thing about. Free Republic has gone completely “viral”.
The elderly are the most likely to die from a Novel Coronavirus infection but they are also the easiest to protect since most don’t need to interact with other people daily.
The flu kills you dead but the Corona virus kills you dead dead.
P
LOL, LOL, I just spit a mouth full of coffee all over my iPad, VERY VERY FUNNY!!!
If a person has one or more of the risk factors they are in the 14% risk no matter their age.
Many of our elderly live in single family homes and have their own transportation.
It is easier for them to safeguard themselves than urban Italian elderly.
I think you just YACT all over this thread...
Now that was funny! TY for the chuckle.
“Free Republic has gone completely ‘viral’.”
The problem is going to hit the travel industry and restaurant industry hard.
Many school systems may have to close down, and less to protect the children, who would only get a mild to severe “cold”, than to protect their older relatives.
In the “real” world NOBODY is talking about this at all.
RE: Many school systems may have to close down
Buy Shares in companies producing digital online education.
Deader than dead.
Seriously? That’s all i hear when i go out- Everyone is talking about it- everyone has an opinion
The flu kills you dead but the Corona virus kills you dead dead.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.