COVID-19 and The Wu-han Clan
According to the American Lung Association, the COVID-19 coronavirus is in the same family as the common cold virus. It shares the same genetic make up as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) of 2003 and the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) of 2012.
The Center of Disease Control reports that in 2003, SARS had 8,437 infected in 29 countries killing 774 people. It has not been seen since 2004. While SARS was much more deadly, it was less infectious than COVID-19
The World Health Organization states that since 2012, MERS has infected 2,494 and killed 813 in 27 countries. It peaked in 2014, and is still around with only a handful of cases occurring.
COVID-19 has about 81,000 people infected since discovered on December 31st 2019 with 2,762 deaths in 37 countries.
Yes, absolutely you should take this seriously. But let’s put this in perspective.
We’ve already had a very active flu season, with H3N2 making its rounds. For the 2019–2020 season, 29 million people have been infected with 16,000 dying. That’s right, the regular ol’ flu this season has killed more people than the other three combined.
Children under 5 and adults over 65 are more at risk as their bodies are not able to fight off the symptoms of the flu as easily as healthy mature adults can, especially if there are other health issues such as high blood pressure and previously existing respiratory issues. That being said, the regular flu can totally knock you on your ass for 3–4 days at a time, with dehydration and fever being the biggest complications that contribute to delayed recovery. The CDC recommends everyone over 5 months old get the flu vaccine and while it may not stop you from getting it, the vaccine can decrease the severity of symptoms.
The takeaway is that you need to wash your hands frequently and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. Only wear a mask if you suspect that you yourself might have the flu in order to protect others. If you are fighting the flu, STAY HOME.
For further influenza information, please visit: https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/10-flu-myths
Then, go wash your hands.
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