Pooja Rayapaneni, Writer
A common question regarding the coronavirus has been thrown around: Isn’t it like the flu? Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases, tried to clear this up to Congress by claiming that “this is a very serious problem that we need to take seriously.” In short, the coronavirus is nothing like the flu. Although the symptoms are quite similar (a cough, fever, and complications that can lead to pneumonia), the severity of the coronavirus is far greater than that of the seasonal flu.
Scientists used the R-naught system (R₀) to describe how contagious a disease may be. Looking at some of the most notorious diseases, Zika has an R₀ of 3-6.6 and Measles has an R₀ of 12-18. While Covid-19 has an R₀ of 2-2.5 and the seasonal flu with an R₀ of 1.3. Although the difference seems quite small, in comparison to larger diseases such as the Measles and Zika, the slight difference contributes to the widespread reproduction of Corona that’s taking a toll on the world. As depicted by the VOX diagram, if one person were infected, after ten rounds, approximately 2000 individuals will be sick while with the flu around 60 others would be infected. Therefore, supporting the claim that the coronavirus is far more dangerous than the average seasonal flu.
The seasonal flu results in thousands of fatalities every year. For example, there are approximately 12,000 to 61,000 deaths per year in the United States. On the other hand, as of April 11th, there are 18,763 deaths in the United States due to the new disease(which is subject to change). Though doctors and healthcare officials are working on estimating the mortality rate of Covid-19, and at present, they believe that it will be much higher than that of most strains of the flu. Some estimate that Covid-19’s fatality rate is 10 times that of the flu, especially for older people (as depicted by the bar graph).
Not only is Covid-19 twice as contagious and deadly but also the incubation period (which refers to the time between exposure and the appearance of the first symptoms) is significantly longer. Covid-19 has an incubation period of 2 weeks in which an individual may also be contagious during this period. While the flu, in comparison, has an incubation period of 2 days. Therefore stressing the importance of practicing social distancing as it is the best way to avoid being exposed to the virus and also slows the spread of the disease locally and globally.
It must also be taken into consideration, that we have never seen a disease ravage the entire globe so rapidly. Thus, nearly everyone on the planet is susceptible to the virus as it is fairly new. However, the flu has been around for decades, and immunity is offered through standardized flu shots that are available every year. During flu season, there are already individuals that are immune to the flu since they either took their flu shots or already had that flu strain, therefore, limiting the spread of the virus. As stated, there is no vaccine to prevent Covid-19, so when a contagious individual comes into contact with others the disease spreads like wildfire.
Although there is no vaccine available to prevent the coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has introduced certain precautions to take in order to protect oneself and others from the spreading of the virus. Here are some tips from experts!
Do
Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds, with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub
Cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or flexed elbow when you cough or sneeze
Avoid close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with people who are unwell
Stay home and self-isolate from others in the household if you feel unwell
Don’t
Touch your eyes, nose, or mouth if your hands are not clean
The virus continues to spread, however, we must do our part and practice social distancing more than ever if we hope to return to our daily lives as soon as possible. In addition, we must not take this issue lightly as new cases and fatalities appear everyday. With these protective measures, there is a possibility that the curve will be flattened and life as we know it will return.
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