Most coronaviruses *are* just common colds. Colds are also caused by rhinoviruses, which have not, to my knowledge, caused serious disease.
However, there are a handful of coronaviruses that are far worse. MERS came from camels and SARS from civet cats. Both of those caused concern when they emerged. FIP is a coronavirus that is 100% fatal for cats.
This coronavirus has a high enough fatality rate to be worrisome, and a low enough fatality rate to be highly contagious. That is not a good combination. The 1917-1919 influenza pandemic had those characteristics.
As much as I love Rush, he was a little off on this one.
I’m listening to Rush’s exact phrasing on WRKO’s Kuhner Report right now.
Survival rates are consistent with colds (which are viruses).
This is what this idiot blogger Lame Chery has to say about the virus:
What is known as the Coronavirus is not a virus. It is instead a "virus" platform of BAT SARS, overlaid with bacteria as the covering for the viral spikes which invade cells. What is inside Corona Wuhan is what makes it tick. It has in a lab spliced in, tuberculosis and HIV, meaning Corona Wuhan is viral, fungal and bacteria as an organism.
http://lamecherry.blogspot.com/2020/02/dc-and-coronavirus.html
Not only is that scientifically impossible – “viral, fungal and bacteria as an organism”, he has no clue about what he is talking about, much as he was totally wrong about small pox.
But he sure likes to scare monger.
On the other hand, I do agree that Limbaugh is also way off base here as you said.
I think that serious concern over this coronavirus is warranted in that it is a novel virus in humans so early on and it is early on, we don’t yet know exactly how it is transmitted other than droplets from sneezing or coughing, or whether the virus can be aerosolized like the measles virus, how long fomites last on surfaces and the actual CFR or whether like SARS and MERS it will eventually burn out.
A highly contagious virus that is novel in humans means no immunity and as you said, a low enough fatality rate means it spreads uncontrollably much like the H1N1 influenza variant “Spanish” flu pandemic of 1918-19 that killed 50 million worldwide with about 675,000 or more deaths occurring in the United States. But it should also be mentioned that the Spanish flu ran its course and while other H1N1 strains have emerged, thus far none have been as quite as deadly. But as I’ve heard virologists and epidemiologist say for many years, “another “Spanish Flu” or “Black Death” plague, is not a matter of “if” but “when””. And no, that doesn’t mean a human engineered bioweapon as nature has being bioengineering lethal viruses and bacteria without our help.
But while this virus is “scary”, a potential global pandemic which “could” kill millions and should not to be dismissed, do you know what really scares me? It is not the “bug” as much as my fellow humans.
People who believe every unsubstantiated rumor, twitter post, YouTube video and blog post as fact.
People who obsess over every conspiracy theory no matter how absurd.
People who eschew science and medical advice and dose themselves with useless or even hazardous “natural” remedies and convince others to do the same, and if and when a proven vaccine is developed, will refuse to take it thus making the pandemic even more difficult to contain.
People who see an Asian person and may react or even persecute or kill them much as Europeans during the Black Death blamed Jews and accused them of deliberately poisoning wells and such.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_persecutions_during_the_Black_Death
A panicky person who when hearing someone cough, takes it upon themselves to “eliminate” the threat.
People who hoard supplies to the extent that they create shortages.
People who break quarantine.
Medical professionals and first responders who refuse to work and instead self-isolate.
A complete breakdown of societal norms and rule of law.
Leaders of countries who point fingers at other countries and the risk of all out world war. Think if North Korea thinks the Americans unleashed the virus on them… think about if Iran thinks Israel targeted them with a bioweapon.
Viruses are scary. People even more so.