This is a cold! Is Western Civilization going to collapse over this?

A variation on the theme of the cold -- a cold with an attitude. Is Western civilization going to collapse over a cold?

As Newsweek stated a few months earlier:

[A] cold can also have more severe symptoms in the very young and the very old. Older people are more likely to develop a more serious infection compared with adults or older children. And people who smoke -- or who are exposed to second-hand smoke -- are also more likely to get a cold and have more severe symptoms.

Another group of people who are more severely affected by infection with cold-causing viruses are people with an existing lung condition. They can include people with asthma, cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Infection with a virus that causes inflammation of the airways can make breathing much harder. People with COPD who catch a mild cold virus are also at risk of developing a bacterial infection. – Newsweek, “Why the Common Cold can Sometimes be Deadly”

That is what we are experiencing.

Is the death rate from the coronavirus higher in the very old? So is the death rate from colds (see above). Yet, we see that many people are asymptomatic.

The biggest breakdown yet of novel coronavirus cases suggests that 80% are mild. Some patients never show symptoms. -- Business Insider

Many do not show symptoms?! Of course not! Everyone has had colds in their lives, and we acquire immunity from them. Those who have already had colds from similar strains of coronavirus will have acquired a degree of immunity. Hence, the rather high 80% of people who do not show serious symptoms.

Coronaviruses are an extremely common cause of colds and other upper respiratory infections. -- Harvard Health

Difference Between Coronavirus and Rhinovirus

January 29, 2020 Posted by Samanthi

The key difference between coronavirus and rhinovirus is that coronavirus is an enveloped virus which possesses a nucleocapsid of helical symmetry and crown-like projections on the surface while rhinovirus is a non-enveloped virus which possesses a nucleocapsid of icosahedralsymmetry.

Viruses are infectious particles. In fact, they are noncellular infectious entities whose genome is a nucleic acid, either DNA or RNA. They are obligate intracellular parasites that reproduce in a living host cell and use the cells biosynthetic mechanism to direct the synthesis of virion particles. They are very small and are only visible under the electron microscope. Viruses are pathogenic nucleoproteins which can infect almost all types of living organisms including, animals, plants, protozoa, fungi, bacteria and archaea, etc. Among different animal viruses, coronavirus and rhinovirus are two viruses that are known to cause respiratory illnesses.

What is Coronavirus?

Coronavirus is a large family of viruses. The name ‘corona’ was given to this virus family as they have crown-like projections on their surface. Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses having helical-shaped nucleocapsids. Coronaviruses cause illnesses ranging from common cold and pneumonia to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). These viruses infect the respiratory tract of mammals, including humans. People of all ages are susceptible to this virus. They can also affect the gut of mammals. The common symptoms of coronavirus infection are a runny nose, cough, sore throat, and possibly a headache.

There are different types of coronavirus. According to records, there are six different types of human coronaviruses. Generally, coronavirus can be transmitted from animals to humans. When people have weakened immune systems, this virus spreads from person to person through droplets carrying the virus. Therefore, touching or shaking hands with an infected person, making contact with the objects having the virus, etc. can cause the spread of the virus. Therefore, in order to prevent the spreading of this virus, it is necessary to take precautions such as wearing surgical face masks, washing your hands using soap for at least 20 seconds, avoiding close contact with infected people, etc.

A novel coronavirus has been identified recently from the seafood market in Wuhan city, China. It has caused more than 106 deaths and more than 4,515 infected persons around the world. According to the latest updates, this virus has affected nearly 60 million people around the world. Moreover, this virus has been spread to other countries confirming 62 cases in 17 places outside of mainland China. This virus has posed a great impact on the national economy and public health around the world. This novel Wuhan coronavirus is an ongoing outbreak of respiratory illness that has become a global concern now.

Unlike other viruses, human coronavirus is difficult to cultivate in the laboratory. Hence it is not easy to treat it or develop a new vaccine against it.

What is Rhinovirus?

Rhinoviruses are the primary cause of the common cold. They cause 10% – 40% of colds. In fact, rhinovirus is the most common viral infectious agent in humans. But unlike other viruses that cause the common cold, rhinoviruses rarely make us seriously sick.

Rhinoviruses belong to the genus Enterovirus in the family Picornaviridae. Structurally, rhinovirus is a non-enveloped virus which is icosahedral in symmetry. Moreover, rhinovirus has a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome.

What are the Similarities Between Coronavirus and Rhinovirus?

Coronavirus and rhinovirus are two types of viruses that cause commonest viral infections in human. ***Both can cause the common cold.*** They cause infections in the respiratory tract of mammals. Moreover, they are single-stranded positive-sense RNA viruses. Both coronavirus and rhinovirus transmit via aerosols of respiratory droplets and direct person-to-person contact. Symptoms of both viral infections include sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing and cough. There are no vaccines developed for both types of viruses.What is the Difference Between Coronavirus and Rhinovirus?

Coronavirus is an enveloped virus that possesses crown-like projection on its surface. In contrast, rhinovirus is a non-enveloped virus and is icosahedral in structure. So, this is the key difference between coronavirus and rhinovirus. Coronavirus belongs to virus family Coronaviridae while rhinovirus belongs to family Picornaviridae. Structurally, coronavirus is an enveloped virus having a nucleocapsid of helical symmetry while rhinovirus is a non-enveloped virus having a nucleocapsid of icosahedral symmetry.

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.