Clarifying Some Facts About the Covid 2019
Laurence T. Gayao MD
Today the most talked about subject in social media is about the Covid 2019. There are varying opinions about it. Many say it just like the flu while others talk about it as though it is the beginning of the end of world. Even among us medical professional I have observed misconceptions about this infection. I hope to clarify some of these misconceptions.
To large extent it is true Covid 2019 is like the flu except that humans have not been exposed to the Covid 2019 and that makes it possible to have it passed faster from one human to another. So almost all humans have no immunity against this virus which accounts for how fast it could spread because we have not built up a natural resistance to it because we have not developed specific antibodies to fight against it. It is like the 1918 flu pandemic which kill about 50 million worldwide, it was new strain of virus that people did not have antibodies to fight it. Fortunately we have means today to broadcast information and have preventive measures to contain the infection.
There are far more deadly viruses than the Covid 2019 which has a mortality rate of 2.8% compared to SARS 9.6%, MERS 34.4%, and Ebola 40.4%. The swine flu in 2009 infected about 700,000 to 1.4 billion worldwide and had a mortality rate of 0.02% which means the fatality rate of the COVID 2019 is about twenty-eight times more.
The risk of serious illness due to Covid-19 is far higher for people who are older and have underlying medical conditions. People 60 and older accounted for more than 80% of the deaths in China, according to a major study in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. The new 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.
Overall, China CDC found, 2.3% of confirmed cases died. But the fatality rate was 14.8% in people 80 or older, likely reflecting the presence of other diseases, a weaker immune system, or simply worse overall health. By contrast, the fatality rate was 1.3% in 50-somethings, 0.4% in 40-somethings, and 0.2% in people 10 to 39.
If you are young and healthy your chances of recovery if you get the Covid 2019 infection is good but if you are 80 or older the mortality risk is greater. Just like the flu observe all the infection precautions. There is no specific medication for it to date nor vaccination for it.
