Seasonal flu kills more people than Covid-19? Please stop the lame comparison, because even this is no longer true

Seasonal flu kills more people than corona virus, so why close the economy because of a “less dangerous” disease?

The Covid-19 pandemic has so far demonstrated how much damage it has caused. More than 3 million people have been infected, hundreds of thousands have died, and the world economy has been frozen without knowing when it will recover.

In order to control the disease, countries were forced to enforce blockade and social isolation – the solution is still considered effective and unique, in the context that Covid-19 still has no vaccine and cure. However, there is still criticism, with a very … strange view.

In the US in the past, there have been many marches in many states to protest the blockade decision. One of the arguments made regarding the seasonal flu. Accordingly, seasonal flu kills more people than corona virus, so why close the economy because of a “less dangerous” disease?

But in fact, this is no longer true. In the United States, the number of deaths from Covid-19 has risen to more than 62,000, surpassing the estimate of flu deaths from October 2019. But the corona virus’s attack speed was also faster, as all deaths in the US occurred within a mere 3 months.

Comparing seasonal flu and Covid-19 is awkward, and below you’ll understand why.

The corona virus spreads much faster than the flu

Diagram simulating the likelihood of seasonal flu transmission

Studies show that, on average, an average person infected with seasonal flu can infect 1.28 others. But with corona virus, on average, each case can infect 2-3 people.

Diagram of the infectious ability of corona virus

In addition, Covid-19 was a new pandemic, caused by a new virus. No one can be sure this disease can be restrained by the summer’s sunshine, but even if it is, it is not clear to what extent. Moreover, the disease is actually spreading in the Southern Hemisphere, where the season is opposite to the North.

Corona virus kills a lot faster

From October 2019 to April 2020, influenza estimates killed 24,000 – 62,000 people in the US, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is unofficial data because the CDC stopped updating its data on seasonal flu on April 4. Based on this data, however, it is evident that an average of 331 seasonal flu deaths per day, in the US alone.

By comparison, the corona virus has killed 62,850 people since the first case occurred in February. Between February 6 and April 30, more than 739 Americans a day were killed because of Covid-19.

The most dangerous of corona virus: Can be transmitted for many days even if there are no symptoms

With seasonal flu, the incubation period is very short. A person will usually feel tired, ill within 1 to 4 days after infection, and symptoms appear within 2 days – according to CDC data. In other words, people infected with the flu have very early signs, and tend to stay home, avoiding contact with others.

What about corona virus? The incubation period is unclear, maybe 3 – 14 days, and according to Harvard University, symptoms usually appear after 4-5 days after infection.

“A patient with Covid-19 infection can become a source of infection from 48 to 72 hours before the onset of obvious symptoms,” – Harvard experts said. “In particular, mainly the 48-hour period before symptoms.”

The report is not the final conclusion. But according to experts from Harvard, if true, it shows that “the use of masks, maintaining social spacing, tracking traces … will help minimize the risk of infection from the millions of patients who have not had millions.” Testimonials in the community. “

“It is very easy for an infected person who has no symptoms to infect others,” said Anne Rimon, a professor of epidemiology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

“When talking, saliva can splash,” – she said. “Many people have a habit of rubbing their noses, touching their mouths, rubbing their eyes. And if it’s an asymptomatic infected person, they can touch the surrounding surfaces, and potentially infect others.”

Source: CNN