For Americans, flu remains a bigger threat than coronavirus

[soryang]

For Americans, flu remains a bigger threat than coronavirus
LA Times
SOUMYA KARLAMANGLA STAFF WRITER
JAN. 31, 2020 12:05 PM

While a new virus that originated in China has prompted Americans to wear masks on the subway and cancel international trips for fear of falling ill, a much deadlier killer already stalking the United States has been largely overshadowed: the flu.

Like the new coronavirus, influenza can spread from person to person through the air and cause a fever and cough. But unlike the coronavirus, which so far hasn’t led to any deaths in the U.S., influenza has killed approximately 10,000 Americans since October, according to federal data released Friday.

“Here in the U.S., this is what is killing us,” said UC Riverside epidemiologist Brandon Brown. “Why should we be afraid of something that has not killed people here in this country?”

More at the link:

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-31/flu-coronavirus

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. It's the overblown coverage.

So far the death rate from this corona virus is about 2%. And that's almost entirely older people, or those with underlying health issues. Healthy young adults are not dropping dead in the streets.

Plus, I've seen a number of completely irresponsible and fear-mongering posts on-line claiming that millions of Chinese have come down with this disease and that many thousands have died already.

People think that science fiction shows or movies are documentaries.

[Mosby]

2. +1

[Warpy]

3. Old folks and people with chronic health conditions are dying from it

Younger people might get sick enough to require intensive care for a few days, but they generally recover. It also takes fairly close contact. In China, being crammed together on mass transit seems to be one way it's spreading, which is why mass transit was one of the first things they shut down.

I'm old and have underlying health problems so the gun is theoretically at my head. I'm not panicking. So far, the outbreaks outside China are very small and patients are being isolated and treated while people around them are being monitored.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. Conditions in China are the most important thing.

The crowding there can be astonishing. We don't generally live that way here.

I am not seeing any reports of young people needing intensive care, so while that's surely a possibility, it's not much of an issue.

Again, it needs to be put in perspective. In a city of some 9 million, 12,000 have gotten sick and 250 have died. Yes, there may well be underreporting, especially of people who have only gotten a mild case. Which means the death rate is even less than those official numbers indicate. I realize that more people are getting sick every day, and more are dying, but it's the breathless reporting that is misleading.

Meanwhile, so far this flu season, some 15 million people here have gotten flu, which is about 4% of the population. And about 8,000 have died, which is .05% of those who got ill.

I know you take as good care of yourself as you can.

[Warpy]

5. China is reporting about 2000 new cases a day

but in a country that large and crowded, that's still a pretty small outbreak.

The thing to remember is that this is not SARS or MERS. Most people aren't getting full blown pneumonia or going into organ failure. They're just getting a cough, a fever, and recovering from it.

It's just new and for most of us just another annoyance to be added to rhinovirus and influenza. Let's hope it stays that way.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. Right.

This simply isn't that serious.