Is The Coronavirus Really A Threat?

Is the coronavirus just hype or the real deal?

Photo by Portuguese Gravity on Unsplash

The common flu does not grab the headlines. But attach a foreign name to a virus – such as Ebola, Zika and Wuhan – and then the headlines flow.

The coronavirus is only as dangerous as you believe it to be. The coronavirus is just at its core a new strain of flu. I work at the NHS and we are getting more cases of coronavirus but Influenza A and B is still outpacing coronavirus by at least 200 to one.

Right now just treat it like you would Influenza A or B. Cover your mouth when you cough. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds (this is according to the NHS directives.) Wearing gloves could help as well as a mask but not necessary.

The initial symptoms of coronavirus are typically similar to those of a cold or flu, which means it is hard for people to know if they are infected, especially given that the outbreak has coincided with flu season.

In the US alone, the CDC has reported there has been 2.6 million cases of Influenza A and Influenza B in December and 4.6 million cases un 2020 alone. This flu season alone the flu has infected 32 million Americans killing 18,000 Americans with some estimates upward toward 30,000.

Photo by Allie Smith on Unsplash

Worldwide the flu infects nearly one billion people. It is reported by the WHO that worldwide nearly 650,000 people die every year from the flu.

The coronavirus is not an equal-opportunity killer: Being elderly and having other illnesses, for instance, greatly increases the risk of dying from the disease the virus causes, Covid-19. It’s also possible being male could put you at increased risk.

Only 177 cases of coronavirus has been reported along with 11 deaths. Remember the SARS virus? Avian flu? Swine, MERS, or ZIKA? The media and politicians hyped these and they just faded from the news cycle quietly.

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