The Coronavirus and the flu have many similarities. This is how you can tell them apart!
Health officials are now certain that a COVID-19 outbreak in North America is inevitable, and some believe imminent.
With stores running low on basic staples and unable to keep surgical masks and hand sanitizers in stock, it seems in certain quarters that panic is setting in.
While the number of people infected is fast approaching 100,000, with deaths reported in excess of 3,000, there is reason to call for calm.
For instance, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), around a billion people contract the seasonal influenza every year and of those, approximately 290,000 to 650,000 die from it. Pretty startling statistics when compared to those of COVID-19.
Blaming the current pandemic on the Coronavirus is fallacious. The Coronavirus is a fairly common type of viral infection worldwide that causes mild to moderate respiratory distress, not unlike the flu or common cold.
In fact, public health officials assert that most people will be infected with influenza, a cold, or a type of Coronavirus in their lifetime.
Both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza are transmitted via droplets from coughing, sneezing, or even talking.
COVID-19, however, is a strain of Coronavirus heretofore unseen in humans.
As a viral infection, it cannot be treated with antibiotics, as is the case with bacterial infections. Because of this, the most health workers can do is manage and treat the symptoms. The most common symptoms are: fever, body aches, cough, and fatigue.
Since COVID-19, first reported in Wuhan China, is said to have originated with animals, humans do not have natural immunities built up to fight it.
In addition, test kits appear to be in short supply and, while there has been a vaccination for influenza since circa 1945, with refinements to account for inevitable mutations, a vaccine for COVID-19 is not yet even on the horizon.Â
As of early March, the CDC reported the death toll for the flu at 0.05%, while that of COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization, is in the neighborhood of 3%; the WHO points out that this figure may be low as some people may have died without even realizing that they were infected with COVID-19.
As with any major health crisis, it is crucial that cooler heads prevail. The best advice is to listen to the health professionals, and heed the instructions of government officials.
If one hasn’t already, it is strongly recommended to get the flu shot to bolster the immune system, and to always wash your hands!
