Often one of the first victims during a crisis, is Information; the truth about what is actually going on, and the facts that would allow us to resolve a crisis and overcome it efficiently.
The health and economic crisis caused by the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic, has claimed the lives of 165,000 victims, and threw the world into an unprecedented economic crisis worldwide. This crisis is no different in terms of the spread of misinformation; and through social media platforms, it tends to spread rapidly, misleading people into believing the false information about the virus, blurring the lines of what is true and what is not.
Just a Flu
The most common misconception about COVID-19 is that itâs just a flu or a similar disease, undermining the real extent of danger it poses on the health of individuals, especially those who are more at risk, such as the elderly and the ill.
This misconception is fairly understandable as the symptoms are quite alike; however, there are certain characteristics and reasons that make COVID-19 more deadly and serious than the flu.
The most common misconception about COVID-19 is that itâs just a flu or a similar disease.
Itâs more contagious
The novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), that infects the respiratory system, has an R0 score of about 2; according to the World Health Organization, it is hovering at around 2 to 2.5. R0 is a diseases basic reproduction number; the contamination level of each virus – it is subject to change depending on measures taken and population, with social distancing crucial and decreased the R number of the disease. A person with COVID-19, on average infects 2 people; a number higher more than the seasonal flu and the flu pandemic of 2009, which had an R0 of (0.9-2.1) and (1.4-1.6) respectively.
Incubation period
One of the biggest differences between the novel coronavirus and the flu is the time it takes for symptoms to appear, which is the incubation period. COVID-19 has an incubation period of up to 14 days, far more than the approx. two days it takes for the symptoms of the flu to appear. Researchers at John Hopkins Bloomberg School place the median incubation period for COVID-19 at an estimated 5.1 days. What makes this difference significant is the fact that a person infected with COVID-19 can spread and contaminate others while they are still asymptomatic, greatly complicating the response to the contagion.
Death rate
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States (CDC) estimates that, from October 1, 2019, through April 4, 2020, there have been 24,000 â 62,000 flu deaths, with a death rate of 0.1%. Meanwhile, the coronavirus, which began to pick up pace in the USA around late March, has already killed more than 40,000, putting the death rate at around 5%, with the WHO placing it at around 3-4%; making COVID-19 far deadlier than the flu.
No vaccine
Probably the major reason for the higher death rate of COVID-19 is the lack of an effective treatment method. Unlike the flu, which antiviral medications and vaccines, âcommonly known as the flu shotâ; COVID-19 does not have a vaccine ready for it yet, making treatment harder and less efficient. Nonetheless, works and trials on developing a vaccine is underway by different biotech companies around the world, and more than 20 vaccines are currently âin development for COVID-19â, which is reported to take around 18 months for it to be ready, a record time.
Despite the similarities between the flu and the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 poses a much greater threat; being more contagious, and far deadlier than the flu; in addition to the lack of a vaccine, which further complicates in treating patients with the virus. COVID-19 is quite different, and fully understanding it is crucial to mount an effective battle in containing and eliminating its threat.
More than 20 vaccines are currently âin development for COVID-19â, which is reported to take around 18 months for it to be ready, a record time.
