The truth about Covid-19
I'd really like to speak to a scientist or someone qualified to answer questions about the novel coronavirus that has caused this pandemic.
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hartfire Best Comment
That kind of statement shows a misunderstanding about the nature of science.
Science seeks knowledge via observation, measurement, hypothesis, experiments, tests and proof.
A theory develops plausibility or is modified or abandoned as the evidence for or against accumulates.
COVID-19, although a cousin of SARS in terms of its RNA and structure, is still a totally new virus.
Of the more than 200 laboratories around the world that are working on it, some are doing the same work to discover if the observations and statistics match, are repeatable and reliable and therefore can be accepted as a foundation for further research. Others are using different technologies and methods to discover related information.
It takes time to collate all the data from the different tests, hospitalised patients and post mortems. The more data comes in, the more accurate the picture becomes.
Thus, it was at first thought that to spend 15 minutes or longer within 1.5 meters of an infectious person was enough to contract the disease. But more recent research as discovered that very fine particles - the size you would get from an aerosol spray, can drift up to 9 metres from an infected person, and can be drawn in a spread about by fans and poor quality ventilation and air conditioners.
It was at first thought to be a respiratory disease because of the first symptoms and the frequency of pneumonia in serious cases, but it is now known to be a disease of the red blood cells. The cells lose their capacity to absorb oxygen from the lungs, cause inflammatory responses in the lungs, heart and liver - and most deaths are from heart failure. We now also know that it can sometimes cross into the brain, and some recovered patients have been left with lung, heart, liver or brain damage.
There is, in fact, agreement by epidemiologists on COVID-19 where it concerns the facts. There is also general agreement about what precautions to take in various situations - but these precautions depend on the goals of authorities. Countries which opt for total eradication are generally more successful than those who opt for control and management. Countries that have acted too late or do nothing have the worst outcomes.
At present, despite the 17 candidates for a possible vaccine and the fast tracking of research via parallel processing, no one knows whether we will succeed in developing a safe and effective vaccine.
There are a few hopeful drugs being trialled. These help to minimise the worst effects of the disease, so that a seriously affected patient has a better chance of survival, and far less permanent damage after recovery.
So far, around the world, the current rate of deaths from COVID-19 averages between .05 and 2%, depending on the availability of appropriate treatment in a hospital. But this will change as the numbers who catch it multiply.
In the USA the rate of deaths from flu averages 2 per 100,000 population. That's .002%.
In the USA the rate of death from COVID-19 is .1%
So in the USA, Corona is proving to be 200 times deadlier than the flu.
On top of that, it's infectiousness is far higher.
People are idiots if they don't listen to the scientists, and listen very carefully to the updates as the research gathers more information.
Science seeks knowledge via observation, measurement, hypothesis, experiments, tests and proof.
A theory develops plausibility or is modified or abandoned as the evidence for or against accumulates.
COVID-19, although a cousin of SARS in terms of its RNA and structure, is still a totally new virus.
Of the more than 200 laboratories around the world that are working on it, some are doing the same work to discover if the observations and statistics match, are repeatable and reliable and therefore can be accepted as a foundation for further research. Others are using different technologies and methods to discover related information.
It takes time to collate all the data from the different tests, hospitalised patients and post mortems. The more data comes in, the more accurate the picture becomes.
Thus, it was at first thought that to spend 15 minutes or longer within 1.5 meters of an infectious person was enough to contract the disease. But more recent research as discovered that very fine particles - the size you would get from an aerosol spray, can drift up to 9 metres from an infected person, and can be drawn in a spread about by fans and poor quality ventilation and air conditioners.
It was at first thought to be a respiratory disease because of the first symptoms and the frequency of pneumonia in serious cases, but it is now known to be a disease of the red blood cells. The cells lose their capacity to absorb oxygen from the lungs, cause inflammatory responses in the lungs, heart and liver - and most deaths are from heart failure. We now also know that it can sometimes cross into the brain, and some recovered patients have been left with lung, heart, liver or brain damage.
There is, in fact, agreement by epidemiologists on COVID-19 where it concerns the facts. There is also general agreement about what precautions to take in various situations - but these precautions depend on the goals of authorities. Countries which opt for total eradication are generally more successful than those who opt for control and management. Countries that have acted too late or do nothing have the worst outcomes.
At present, despite the 17 candidates for a possible vaccine and the fast tracking of research via parallel processing, no one knows whether we will succeed in developing a safe and effective vaccine.
There are a few hopeful drugs being trialled. These help to minimise the worst effects of the disease, so that a seriously affected patient has a better chance of survival, and far less permanent damage after recovery.
So far, around the world, the current rate of deaths from COVID-19 averages between .05 and 2%, depending on the availability of appropriate treatment in a hospital. But this will change as the numbers who catch it multiply.
In the USA the rate of deaths from flu averages 2 per 100,000 population. That's .002%.
In the USA the rate of death from COVID-19 is .1%
So in the USA, Corona is proving to be 200 times deadlier than the flu.
On top of that, it's infectiousness is far higher.
People are idiots if they don't listen to the scientists, and listen very carefully to the updates as the research gathers more information.
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