In amongst the reportage of COVID-19 , there have been many references to the seasonal flu , admit byDonald Trump . Whilst the two viruses both causerespiratory diseaseand spread the same mode ( via modest droplets of fluid from the nozzle and mouth of someone who is sick ) , there are important distinction to make between grippe and COVID-19 . Not least of all , because our knowledge of the former greatly outweighs that of the latter .
At the time of writing , there have been almost130,000 affirm casesof the novel coronavirus , of whom over 69,000 have recovered and more than 5,000 have died . In a typical flu season , the World Health Organization ( WHO)estimatesthat there are about 290,000 to 650,000 respiratory deaths and about 3 to 5 million case of severe illness .
But these figures alone do not state the whole fib . At abriefing last calendar week , WHO Director - General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the different mortality rate rates between the two computer virus . “ Globally about 3.4 percent of reported COVID-19 case have pall , ” Tedrosexplained . “ By compare , seasonal flu generally kills far few than 1 percent of those infected . ”
human death pace for COVID-19 have varied in study already . One idea of a 2.3 percent event human death in mainland China , the epicentre of the disease , was published in theChina CDC Weeklylast calendar month . Whereas another study published a few weeks later in theNew England Journal of Medicinefound that the overall end rate was lower , at around 1.4 percentage , using information from over 1,000 patients also in mainland China .
Case human death pace are expected to fluctuate further as the pandemic advancement , asmore mild casesbecome confirmed . They have also varied significantly amongst dissimilar age groups , with sure-enough adult hit the hard . For those 80 and older , one studysaw a last - rate of 14.8 percent . However , the overall pace continues to be significantly high than for seasonal influenza , which is oftencitedas having a case fatality charge per unit of approximately 0.1 percent .
One of the predominant component for COVID-19 causing more severe disease than seasonal influenza is its novelty and uniqueness . “ While many multitude globally have build up immunity to seasonal influenza strains , COVID-19 is a new virus to which no one has exemption , ” Tedros saidin the briefing .
Immunity can be build from exposure to the disease , include in the cast of a vaccine . Flu vaccine are available to assist the body safely grow immunity to the disease , andrecent studieshave indicate its effectiveness , which can vary season to time of year , is between 40 percent and 60 percent . However , there is presently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19 . Globally , around 20 are indevelopmentand80 clinical trialsare set to be launched , but until then there is picayune unsusceptibility in the world population against the computer virus .
How easy the virus propagate is another path in which COVID-19 and seasonal grippe come along to differ . A basic reproduction bit , or R0 , is a mensuration scientists use to calculate the average issue of people who catch the virus from a single septic person . For the flu , this act isreportedly around 1.3 , but inpreliminary studiesof COVID-19 , R0 is count on between 2 and 3 , similar to that ofSARS .
As with a slew of info about the novel coronavirus , these identification number are dynamic and can motley by fix and other factors . Scientists are also working to understand more about the point at which COVID-19 can be transmitted . late study suggest that it takeson average 5.1 daysbefore symptom of the disease emerge , but it is presently unknown whether a person can conduct the disease before this time .
In the meantime , for the best protective cover against COVID-19 , you should follow theexpert ’s adviceon preventive measures , such aswashing hands exhaustively , covering cough and sternutation , avoid poignant eye , nose and mouth , and avoid close link with masses who are sick . If you get a fever , cough , and trouble external respiration , you should seek aesculapian attention and abide by the guidelines to self - isolate .
