Written by Dr. Paul Meier:
LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH PER YEAR IN THE USA:
HEART DISEASE = 635,000
CANCER = 600,000
ACCIDENTS OF ALL KINDS THAT ARE UNINTENTIONAL = 161,000
RESPIRATORY DISEASE = 155,000
STROKE = 142,000
ALZHEIMERS = 116,000
DIABETES = 80,000
OPIOID OVERDOSES = 65,000
THE FLU AND PNEUMONIA = 52,000
KIDNEY DISEASE = 50,000
SUICIDE = 45,000
SEPTICEMIA (BACTERIAL INFECTIONS IN THE BLOODSTREAM) = 40,000
LIVER DISEASE AND CIRRHOSIS = 38,000
MURDERS = 16,000
DEATHS IN FIRST TWO MONTHS OF CORONAVIRUS IN THE USA = 0
CORONAVIRUSES
THERE ARE MANY CORONAVIRUS ILLNESSES, INCLUDING THE COMMON COLD.
PREVENTION OF CORONAVIRUS: Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing
THE CDC SAID THAT THE US SHOULD PREPARE FOR A LIKELY EPIDEMIC AND LIMIT AIR TRAVEL AND LARGE GROUPS OF PEOPLE. HAVE BUSINESS MEETINGS BY SKYPE RATHER THAN FLYING TO A CENTRALIZED LOCATION. COLLEGES MAY DIVIDE THEIR STUDENTS INTO SMALLER CLASSES, OR, IF IT BECOMES SEVERE ENOUGH, QUIT USING CLASSES ALTOGETHER AND HAVE CLASSES ONLINE.
SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS: Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and death.
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans.
SARS is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus and spread around the world in 2003. It caused flu-like symptoms.
SARS has a death rate of 15% overall, but people 65 and over have a much higher death rate.
MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus) has a death rate of 35%.
MERS: Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, or MERS‐CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012, but is most prevalent in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and South Korea. Typical MERS symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Pneumonia is common, but not always present. Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea have also been reported.
Some people test positive for MERS without ever having any symptoms but can still pass it along.
ATLANTA- Two hundred travelers coming through Atlanta’s airport recently showed potential symptoms connected to the new virus that is spreading around the globe and were designated for home quarantine.
CORONAVIRUS CAN LIVE ON SURFACES FOR UP TO 9 DAYS, SCIENTISTS SAY. ON 2.25.20, THE CDC REPORTED THAT THE CORONAVIRUS IS PROBABLY GOING TO BECOME AN EPIDEMIC IN THE UNITED STATES AND IS ALREADY SPREADING TO MANY STATES.
SCIENTISTS ESTIMATE THAT, IN A WORST-CASE SCENARIO, UP TO 70% OF THE WORLD POPULATION COULD BECOME INFECTED WITH CORONAVIRUS. THERE ARE 8.6 BILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, SO THAT WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY 6 BILLION INFECTED. IF THE DEATH RATE TURNS OUT TO BE 5%, FOR EXAMPLE, THEN 300 MILLION PEOPLE WOULD DIE.
CORONAVIRUS, designated COVID-19, SPREADS MORE EASILY THAT OTHER CORONAVIRUS ILLNESSES LIKE SARS OR MERS. it has not yet proven to be as deadly as its related coronavirus strands, but we don’t really know what the death rate will end up being after we get more extensive and accurate reporting. China claims only a 2.3% death rate, but there are many reasons why Chinese politicians would report a lower death rate than what is factual. Iran reports a death rate of 20%. Some time in 2020, we will have a much better idea of the actual death rate and how it compares to SARS (15% death rate) and MERS (35% death rate).
LIFE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHILE WE ARE BUSY MAKING OTHER PLANS. IN ITALY RIGHT NOW, WITH A NUMBER OF DEATHS ALREADY FROM CORONAVIRUS, THERE IS MUCH PANIC AND MANY GROCERY STORES ARE EMPTY AS PEOPLE PURCHASE FOOD TO STORE IF THEY HAVE TO REMAIN IN THEIR HOMES. IT WOULD BE WISE TO PLAN AHEAD AND MAKE PREPARATIONS IF PROPORTION TO THE ACTUAL THREAT AT THE TIME, BUT WITHOUT PANIC. WHATEVER HAPPENS IN REGARD TO THIS WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC, LIFE WILL CONTINUE TO GO ON AND SCIENTISTS WILL CONQUER THIS DISEASE LIKE THEY HAVE MOST OTHER ONES—WE HOPE—EVEN THOUGH SCIENTISTS HAVE NOT YET FOUND A CURE FOR THE COMMON COLD, ANOTHER MILDER CORONAVIRUS.
UPDATE AS OF 3.12.20: YESTERDAY, ON THE ADVISE OF THE USA CORONAVIRUS TEAM OF THE CDC, WHO, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV MED SCHOOL INFECTION SPECIALISTS AND RESEARCHERS, AND OTHER SCIENTISTS, THE ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED A 30 DAY TRAVEL BAN ON EUROPE OTHER THAN THE UK (SINCE THE UK ENFORCED QUICK TRAVEL BANS WHEN THE VIRUS WAS DISCOVERED, AS DID THE USA, SO THE INCIDENCE IN THOSE TWO COUNTRIES IS RELATIVELY LOW, WHILE EUROPE DID NOT DO TRAVEL BANS TO AND FROM CHINA AND OTHER DANGEROUS PLACES AND HAVE WIDESPREAD CORONAVIRUS. THE WHO ANNOUNCED THAT IT IS OFFICIALLY A PANDEMIC, WHICH JUST MEANS IT IS PRESENT IN MANY COUNTRIES AND THE NUMBER CONTINUES TO INCREASE.
AS OF TODAY, THE AVERAGE DEATH AGE IN THE USA OF THOSE RELATIVELY FEW WHO HAVE DIED IS 80 YEARS OLD AND NOBODY UNDER 30 HAS DIED OF IT. PEOPLE 65 AND OLDER ARE MORE VULNERABLE, ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE SIGNIFICANT MEDICAL CONDITIONS, SO RETIREMENT HOMES ARE ESPECIALLY BEING OBSERVED. MANY OF THE INFECTION CONTROL DOCS RECOMMEND THAT THE ELDERLY AVOID CROWDED PLACES OF 250 PEOPLE OR MORE, AVOID TRAVEL ON AIRLINES OR ESPECIALLY CRUISES, AND NOT ATTEND LARGE EVENTS LIKE SPORTING EVENTS. THE NBA SUSPENDED GAMES FOR NOW. THE NCAA FINAL FOUR WILL BE PLAYED ON TV WITH NO SALES THE TO PUBLIC. JUST THE COACHES AND SOME OF THEIR CLOSE RELATIVES OR ASSOCIATES CAN ATTEND. POLITICAL RALLIES HAVE BEEN TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED. MORE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE ELDERLY, WILL ATTEND CHURCH OR OTHER ACTIVITIES ONLINE RATHER THAN IN CROWDS. THE DEATH RATE FROM CORONAVIRUS IN THE USA IS NOT YET DETERMINED BUT IS LIKELY TO END UP AROUND THE 2% RANGE BUT ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IN THE ELDERLY. THE DEATH RATE FROM THE COMMON FLU IS 0.1% BUT THE FLU CAN KILL ANY AGE GROUP AND THERE CAN BE 40,000 A YEAR WHO DIE PER YEAR OF THE FLU IN THE USA AND WE JUST EXPECT IT AND ACCEPT IT. THE FLU IS SPREAD TO AN AVERAGE OF 1.5 PEOPLE PER FLU VICTIM BUT THE CORONAVIRUS IS MORE TRANSMITTABLE AND CAN EVEN STAY ALIVE ON HARD SURFACES LIKE GLASS OR METAL FOR ABOUT A WEEK—POSSIBLY 9 DAYS MAX. IT IS RECOMMENDED TO WASH OUR HANDS SEVERAL TIMES A DAY WITH SOAP FOR TWENTY SECONDS OR LONGER. DON’T COUGH WITHOUT COVERING YOUR MOUTH AND STAY AWAY FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE COUGHING. THE SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS IN THE YOUNG ARE USUALLY MUCH LESS THAN THE COMMON FLU. WITH CORONAVIRUS, THERE IS RARELY ANY NAUSEA, VOMITING OR MUSCLE ACHES LIKE THERE ARE WITH THE FLU—USUALLY JUST COUGHING AND A FEVER, AND SOMETIMES SOME SHORTNESS OF BREATH. SEVERE CASES PROGRESS TO PNEUMONIA AND POTENTIAL DEATH IN THOSE OVER 30 AND ESPECIALLY 65 OR OLDER. GREAT EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE IN THE USA TO ISOLATE AND QUARANTINE PEOPLE FOR TWO WEEKS WHO ARE POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS, MANY OF WHOM DO NOT EVEN HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS. THE NUMBER OF CASES AND DEATHS WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY INCREASE FOR THE COMING MONTH OR TWO, BUT IT IS LIKELY TO CEASE WHEN THE WARM WEATHER COMES OUT, LIKE THE FLU SEASON DOES EACH YEAR. HOPEFULLY A VACCINE WILL BE DEVELOPED BEFORE IT POTENTIALLY RETURNS IN THE FALL. SARS AND MERS ARE MUCH MORE SEVERE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMICS THAT OCCURRED IN THE PAST TWENTY YEARS AND EACH CAME AND WENT AND NO LONGER OCCUR OTHER THAT POSSIBLE RARE INCIDENTS. THEY PROBABLY ALL STARTED IN BATS FIRST, THEN OTHER BITTEN ANIMALS, THEN HUMANS. SOME RECOMMEND NO LONGER SHAKING HANDS OR THE EUROPEAN TRADITION OF KISSING ON THE CHEEK WHEN GREETING FRIENDS, AT LEAST FOR THE TIME BEING UNTIL THIS CRISIS IS PAST. IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO PANIC AND TO GET CURRENT INFORMATION IN PERSPECTIVE.
