Fever, sore throat, chills – similar symptoms of flu and the new coronavirus – however, the viruses are very different, experts said on Wednesday.
COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is fatal in about 3.5 percent of confirmed cases.
The mortality rate, given that many people can be infected without realizing it, is significantly higher than that of seasonal flu, which usually kills 0.1 percent of patients.
“There is still significant uncertainty about COVID-19 case fatality rates, and it varies with the quality of local healthcare,” said François Balloux, professor in the Department of Computational Systems Biology at University College London.
“However, this averages about two percent, which is about 20 times higher than the seasonal flu lines currently in circulation.”
The severity of the disease.
But the true danger of coronavirus is not a high mortality rate. Experts say health care systems can easily find themselves overwhelmed by the number of cases requiring hospitalization and often ventilating the lungs to support breathing.
An analysis of 45,000 confirmed cases in China, where the epidemic began, shows that the vast majority of deaths were in the elderly (14.8% death rate over 80).
But another Chinese study found that 41 percent of critically ill patients requiring hospitalization were under 50, compared with 27 percent among people over 65.
“It is true that if you are older, you are at greater risk, but serious complications can also happen to relatively young people without any preconditions,” said French Deputy Health Minister Jerome Salomon.
Contagiousness.
WHO experts estimate that every COVID-19 patient infects two to three others.
This is a multiplication rate double the seasonal flu, which typically infects 1.3 people for every patient.
Vaccine / Treatment.
People have been living with the flu for over 100 years.
“We took a close look at the flu,” he said. “This new virus resembles the flu in terms of physical symptoms, but there are huge differences.”
The first is the lack of a vaccine against COVID-19, or even any proven treatment.
Although some studies have shown that antiretroviral drugs help in serious cases, as well as some experimental treatments, their sample sizes are too small to be widely distributed in the population.
Hundreds of researchers around the world are desperately working to find a vaccine for COVID-19, but the development process takes months and is too late for the current outbreak.
Even if the vaccine magically appears, it is impossible to provide access to it for every sick person. Health authorities regularly complain that not enough people are getting the flu vaccine to guarantee immunity.
Similarities.
But the new virus shares some characteristics with the flu, in particular the steps that each of us can personally take to reduce infection rates:
Avoid shaking hands, wash your hands often with soap and water, avoid touching your face, and wear a mask if you are sick.
Such actions can limit the spread of infection, as with influenza, gastrointestinal diseases and other infectious diseases.
France's health ministry says only two in 10 people wash their hands regularly after using the restroom.
“And only 42 percent of people cover their mouths with an elbow or tissue when they cough or sneeze,” he added, not encouragingly.
Sources: Agence France-Presse.
