Posted March 16, 2020
low rated
antrad88: I still don't understand; if the flu is killing 200 000 to 500 000 people EACH YEAR why aren't we closing borders each winter ? Over 10 000 people died from the flu in USA alone this season and it is no big deal, but just 50 people died from corona and USA is now completely isolated from the world and every event is being canceled. Why aren't we fighting the flu this passionately ?
A few reasons are likely: (If I make any mistakes someone please feel free to correct me)
This disease is more transmissible and infectious...due to this plus it's minimum mortality rate of around 5%, if a good chunk of the population got it then it's possible millions would die.
Add to that that scientists make a vaccine for the most common flu strains every year and many take such vaccines(thus limiting the impact of each year's flu season).....whereas this disease has no vaccine pre-made, and they are still working on one.
All the above aside, the actual/possible financial/supply chain problems(happening now or that might happen down the line) are much more sever than those we see during other flu seasons, and will also likely negatively impact many more people than regular flu/flu seasons have(on average) in the past.
(Plus addition: The user in POST 341 also brought up another good point, which I listed/replied to below)
antrad88: If media reported EVERY flu caused death in the world there would be panic as well. How about reporting each of the 800 000 HIV caused deaths per year each day ?
As for HIV: We can contain it, for the most part(at least in most first world countries) as it is(afaik) only spread via bodily fluids/etc....i.e. it is harder to transmit & spreads less quickly & can even be blocked easier. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now all the above aside, I am NOT saying people should worry TOO MUCH, but I also can see why some are worrying a lot more than normal.
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ConsulCaesar: The problem is not as much the number of cases or fatalities, as it is the timing and the overflow of the health system's capacity. If the hospitals become full (as they already have in some countries), they can't keep treating patients that need assistance, something that doesn't happen with the flu (as a vaccine already exists, different infection rates, etc.). So please be cautious and stay at home as much as you can.
Forgot this bit...thanks for bringing it up/mentioning it. :) But yes, this is another reason why this is more serious/worth "worrying" about than the normal flu: As this seems to be overwhelming(or will overwhelm) many area's health care systems it puts undue strain on those systems and makes it harder to get treatment for future cases of COVID or other things(even things that are nearly or as deadly/serious).
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babark: But it shows the cost of complacency and "it's just a flu" mentality. We don't currently have an accurate fatality rate for covid19, because different countries are different (for example, Japan has a much older population, so maybe they would be affected worse). But it could be anywhere from 1% to 6%.
This entire post was very spot on and makes good points. Well said.Post edited March 16, 2020 by GameRager