Posted on 03/04/2020 11:33:21 AM PST by Conserv
CHICAGO — With all the fear and panic over COVID 19, some basic questions remain: how likely are you to get sick, should you be worried and how can you protect yourself?
Currently, there is no treatment for COVID 19 and there is no vaccine. But how does it compare to a major health problem we’re all familiar with, like the flu?
“People should not worry any more about this than the flu,” said Dr. Ernest Wang, Chief of Emergency Medicine at NorthShore University HealthSystem.
There’s a vaccine to fight the flu, but many Americans choose not to get it. They are nonchalant about a virus that kills on average 34,000 people in the U.S. every year, and infects 32-45 million people.
By contrast, so far in the U.S. 100 people have been diagnosed with COVID 19 and 9 people have died, all in Washington state.
“It’s very difficult initially to tell the difference between this and the flu, and they present very similarly, and that’s part of the problem is that we don’t know initially just based on symptoms what you may have. The flu is a much bigger health problem than coronavirus at this time,” Wang said.
What about the strength of COVID 19 versus the flu? According to the World Health Organization, it is slightly more deadly than the seasonal flu but does not spread as easily. Wang says most healthy people will survive an infection, many with only mild illness.
“The people most at risk for the flu and for coronavirus do fall into similar populations. If you are older if you have chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, if you smoke, if you have chronic respiratory conditions, so yes, those patients are generally more at risk,” Wang said.
Previously unknown, scientists have learned a great deal about COVID 19 and how it’s spread.
“The most concerning to citizens is human-to-human or community spread, where the patient develops the infection and has no known contact with anyone from China or an area where there was an outbreak. Hand washing is the number one way to protect yourself because you wash your hands and you kill the virus,” Wang said.
The common cold is a coronavirus. Other more virulent strains have caused mass hysteria before, including SARS in 2002 and MERS in 2012. There was the swine flu epidemic in 2009 and ebola in 2014, and these infectious disease outbreaks were all resolved without wiping out entire populations.
“This virus I think is sneaky. People can have it and they don’t exhibit symptoms and they are carriers and people survive with the infection and they can pass it on to other people,” Wang said.
Already, infectious disease experts are testing a currently-prescribed antiviral medication called remdesivir against COVID 19.
It’s the first step towards reducing the power of the virus, and helping patients recover faster and with less-severe symptoms.
Also, I have posted this many times, which was posted by my sister's doctor...
Good morning! We thought it would be helpful to share our thoughts on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Although it has not hit North America yet, with it now spreading into Western Europe it is likely on its way and we want you to be as informed as possible. (UPDATE: Unfortunately, as expected, it is now spreading in multiple states)
Approximately 20% of the common colds we experience seasonally are coronaviruses. This viral family is nothing new, but over the years two strains have emerged that were more concerning. SARS and MERS had mortality rates of 9.5 and 34.5%, respectively. Fortunately these did not become widespread and have been contained. Unfortunately, we now have COVID-19 and it appears to be more easily spread and therefore harder to contain. Its origin is unclear and up for debate, as has been the quality of the data provided by China, but now we have numbers from outside of China (that are consistent with China's reports) and we have included them below for your review.
Current mortality statistics based on best available prelim data: • average overall mortality rate 2.3% • history of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disease, or cancer is 5-10% • no history of chronic disease <1% • overall men 2.8% • overall women 1.7%
By age: • over 80 years old 15% • 10-19 of age 0.0018% • 0-9 years of age ~0%
On a positive note, we can breathe a sigh of relief that our children are clearly not at significant risk. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about our older family members (being male, elderly, and especially having chronic ailments puts one at greatest risk). The biggest problem is this illness is going to look like a sniffle for many of us and so it's easy for it to go unnoticed and unknowingly spread it.
So, what can we do..
HYGIENE • Washing our hands thoroughly (under water for more than 15 seconds) is always the best and most effective preventative measure. • Remind your kids to keep their hands off their face! Pathogens enter our body through the eyes, nose and mouth... • Don't send your kids to school or the park when they may be contagious. For the common cold doctors typically advise 5-7 days of avoidance, but when kids feel better after 2-3 days so many of us send them back to school. It's therefore no surprise our flu seasons are long and challenging. With COVID-19 this practice needs to STOP (and it should anyway). Although our children may not be at significant risk, our beloved friends and families are.
TRAVEL • The CDC is advising against non essential travel to China and South Korea. • Until we know more, we would suggest restricting any travel outside of North America.
TESTING • Your local clinics do not have a reliable test for this yet. Commercially available testing is on the horizon, but initial batches were faulty and so there have been delays. Our practice is actively searching for testing options and will spare no expense when they become available. • Suspected cases are currently being referred to the department of public health for testing. The CDC is only advising testing for patients with cold symptoms who have traveled to China or have a known exposure to a COVID-19 patient.
TREATMENT • For most of us COVID-19 will just look like a common cold. Currently there are no known specific treatments for COVID-19 other than supportive care.
What we should do if we develop cold symptoms (runny nose, fever, mild cough) • isolate • see your doctor • treat fever with Ibuprofen and or Acetaminophen • address congestion with nasal saline, humidifiers, steam showers, vics, cough and cold remedies (as age appropriate) • Hydrate
If your cold moves into your chest see your doctor to rule out pneumonia. • COVID-19 mortality is generally due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and/or pneumonia Early supportive care will improve outcomes. Options include: • steroids to slow the immune response that can lead to ARDS • Inhalers to improve lung function and ease breathing • antibiotics to address and or prevent secondary bacterial complications • inpatient care when extreme/necessary (diuretics, vents...)
Don't forget there are other illnesses out there... • If fevers are high see your doctor to rule out influenza - Tamiflu/Xofluza work best when started early (preferably <48h) • If you have a red sore throat with or without fever or an upset stomach see your doctor to rule out strep.
Coronaviruses are typically seasonal and so we can hope that by the time it gets here our weather warms, flu season ends, and this virus burns itself out. That said, with it so widespread worldwide there is a good chance it will become a seasonal threat, regardless. By then we hope that a safe and effective vaccine will be available. Until then we try to control spread and take care of each other.
In conclusion, please DO NOT PANIC. For the vast majority of us this is just another cold. Please let us help if you have any concerns.
Lawrence Kagan, MD, FAA
“TRAVEL • The CDC is advising against non essential travel to China and South Korea.”
No worries. I wont be going to those sh*tholes. I dont even go to Chinatown or Koreatown. Odd that pet stores are beside Korean BBQ places here..
Coronavirus Denier
For once, use your brain.
Obvious Trump shill. Impeach!
On average 4 people die EVERY HOUR from the flu.
What a piker coronavirus is, only 9 deaths in TWO WEEKS?
Well reading the News article, your sister’s doc would have been better off doing the story.
Big problem with the report. They show a slide comparing Flu to Covid-19.
The slide shows 32 to 45 million infections for the Flu in the US every year. The flu killing 34000 a year.
The other stat is for Covid-19 100 infections with 9 deaths
Lets do some math:
34000 is 0.106% of 32 Million for the flu
9 is 9% of 100 for the Covid-19
I highly doubt the Covid-19 is a 9% death rate. WHO stated 22 hours ago the death rate is 3.4% world wide. We will not know what the rate is until it passes and more testing is done.
The biggest thing about the novel coronavirus is that we know so much less about it now than we do of the variant strains of influenza. Influenza has sort of been built into our consciousness as a sometimes deadly disease, wreaking havoc every season, but we are not even sure how to proceed against coronavirus just yet.
For one thing, testing started off being highly unreliable, and the development and distribution of a reliable and quick test has taken some amount of time, we are not altogether there yet. And an effective vaccine is still a dream that may not be available for some months yet, no matter how fast the crash program to develop it proceeds, partly for safety reasons, and partly for real efficacity, which may only be determined in large-scale testing.
It isnt until you catch it...well then that is quite different, isn’t it?
Until its numbers start really increasing and with its much higher death rate it will be much bigger than the flu.
“People should not worry any more about this than the flu”
Sorry but if I had to choose between the two, I would rather catch the flu. The flu is less lethal with a lower fatality rate.
Is this because the late start for COVID-19 than the other flu strains? Might not be the case the next flu season.
The death rate for coronavirus in the U.S. is currently 9%.
The death rate from flu in the United States is .095%.
There is no comparison, this is many many times deadlier.
I think because the influenza viruses tend to spread really fast, no wonder a lot more people get ill from it.
With the entire media/democratic Kabul supporting and urging it on you may be right.
But, Trump has a long and nearly unbroken record of overcoming enormous odds. My bet is with him.
Actually I think again the coronavirus is going to blow up in their faces. What they are presently doing to constantly try to sabotage and undercut Trump’s efforts to deal with this disease just looks like disloyal treason to the country.
Just one example, the rats and their media uniformly made fun of the fact Pence opened one of their team meetings with a prayer. Do you know how shocking that kind of mockery appears to a lot of Americans who are worried sick about this and still have a concept of God’s possible intervention if He wants.
Without knowing the number of people infected, how can one state a death rate?
My experience with flu vaccinations is very negative, because I only get the flu in seasons that I take the shot.
Why?
I don’t know.
That’s why I ask.
God is just SO testing us.
I’m series.
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