COVID-19 – Isn’t it Just Another Seasonal Flu??

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Johns Hopkins University, School of Public Health.  These stats were published by Blaze TV.

COVID-19 vs Flu

	Common Seasonal Flu*	COVID-19
Case Fatality Rate	0.1%	2.30%*
·        Serious Complication Rate (Pneumonia/Hospitalization)	0.9%	18%
Requiring ICU Rate (SARS/Septic Shock/Organ Failure)	0.25%	5%
R0 (R-Naught)/Rate of Infection	1.3	4.7
Spreads via Droplets	Yes	Yes
Spreads via Aerosols	Yes	Yes
Time Virus Survives on Surfaces	4-5 hours	5-9 Days
Incubation Period	2-3 Days	5-14 Days
Spreads During Incubation Period	No	Yes
Spreads Asymptomatically	No	Yes
Natural Herd Immunity	Yes	No
Vaccines/Antiviral Drugs Available	Yes	No
Fecal-Oral Transmission	No	Yes
Reinfection Risk	No	Yes
	1,000,000	1,000,000
Projections Based on Current Data	Seasonal Flu	COVID-19
Hospitalizations per 1 Million Infections	9,000	180,000
ICUs per 1 Million Infections	2,500	50,000
Fatalities per 1 Million Infections	1,000	23,000

*WHO is publishing 3.4% fatality rate

Daily Stats as of March 11, 5:30 AM CT (from John's Hopkins)

• Total Confirmed Cases Worldwide: 126,611 (up from 114,638 yesterday)
• Total Confirmed Deaths Worldwide: 4,365 (up from 4,031 yesterday)
• 66,894 Patients Have Recovered from COVID-19 Worldwide
• 120 Countries Have Confirmed cases (up from 115 yesterday), 6 more have suspected cases
• 12% of Active Cases are Considered Serious (Requiring Hospitalization), steady from 12% yesterday, with 4% requiring ICU
• US has 1,10 Confirmed Cases, and 31 Deaths
• Confirmed Cases in the 35 US States, with 6 More Tracking Suspected cases

Virology 101, Suzanne D. Vernon, PhD

By Angela Linford | March 5, 2020

My first virology class was taught by Howard Tenim, PhD, a virologist and 1975 Nobel laureate for the discovery of reverse transcriptase – the enzyme used by retroviruses to turn RNA into DNA. I got hooked and have been fortunate to spend the past 35 years learning and studying how viruses do and don’t make us sick.


Here are a couple of essential virology basics from Dr. Tenim’s class.

Coronavirus - Who Should Be Screened

What About Masks to Protect Against Coronavirus

In every image we see of people in countries suffering active community transmission, they are wearing masks.  So, I contacted a community colleague, Kevin McCulley, a public health professional, for some direction.  His comments and suggested links are below:

Expect masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to be unavailable, until manufacturing is spooled up. Remember that even if masks become available, many manufacturers are limiting distribution to healthcare partners and first responders only.

Businesses Taking Action

Some businesses are taking measure of the Coronavirus and creating plans to minimize possible impact on business, customers and employees.

Below is a public letter from Eric Smidt, Owner and Founder of Harbor Freight Tools.

“As communities begin to feel the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19), I want to share with you the steps we’re taking at Harbor Freight Tools to help protect the health and safety of our customers and associates, which is always our top priority.

COVID-19 Air Travel Information

The airline industry is under great pressure to meet the essential travel needs of Americans while not contributing to the transmission of the Coronavirus

This is not a promo for United Airlines, but it may be helpful if you are traveling. All airlines, I am certain are following these standards. Reprinted from UAL announcement.

“Our teams are in daily contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), federal agencies and other global health organizations to share the most up-to-the-minute information to ensure the actions we're taking are comprehensive and appropriate.