Coronavirus and Influenza.

INFLUENZA HAS BEEN KILLING PEOPLE BY THE THOUSANDS FOR DECADES

NEW DOES NOT MAKE A DISEASE MORE LETHAL

As of the last few days there has been a reported 82,000 cases of the Coronavirus resulting in 2800 deaths. This covers a period of 3 months. It does appear to be spreading around the world which probably is inevitable. This is now the case with any infectious disease aided by the prevalence of international travel.

The consequences of being infected with this new strain of coronavirus, the common cold is also a coronavirus, are very similar to Influenza which has been prevalent every year for 100 years. In most strains of Flu the elderly and those with compromised health are hit the hardest. The infamous Flu of 1918 actually affected people in their 20's the most. It killed 500,000 people in the U.S..  Flu deaths in the United States has averaged from a low of 12,000 to a high of 56,000 per season. The Flu of 2018-2019 was the highest in decades an is estimated to have killed 80,000 in the U.S.

2019-2020 season has resulted in 14,00 deaths and 250,000 hospitalized. It is estimated that in average season 25+ million Americans will contract the Flu. Most will survive. Recovery can be expected to a low as 10 day to several months, depending on the strain and the patients condition.

Many virus's have a history of the initial outbreak to have the worst effects. Many virus's tend to weaken slightly during each transmission. The original Ebola outbreaks years ago had a 100% death rate. Then after several transmissions there were some survivors. In the last outbreaks it appears to have been less than 50%. New strains could again be more virulent.

The biggest concern with the Coronavirus is that it is new and effects unknown. As time goes on we will develop a specific treatment regime and eventually a Vaccination. In the meantime, the best policy to to be as vigilant as we should be in avoiding the Influenza, which most likely is still a bigger threat to all of us than this new virus.