Lisa Lockerd Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H.
Influenza “the flu” and COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, are both infectious respiratory illnesses. Although the symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu can look similar, the two illnesses are caused by different viruses.
As of Mar. 8, 2020, the flu is showing much more of an impact on Americans than COVID-19. You can find up-to-date information on COVID-19 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Lisa Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H., senior director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins, explains how the flu and COVID-19 are similar and how they are different.
To all those who are panicking over COVID-19 (no thanks to media coverage that seems to want a global panic), scroll down to the end, where mortality is compared:
COVID-19: Approximately 3,653 deaths reported worldwide; 17 deaths in the U.S., as of Mar. 8, 2020.Flu: 291,000 to 646,000 deaths worldwide; 12,000 to 61,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.
The COVID-19 situation is changing rapidly. Since this disease is caused by a new virus, people do not have immunity to it, and a vaccine may be many months away. Doctors and scientists are working on estimating the mortality rate of COVID-19, but at present, it is thought to be higher than that of most strains of the flu.
Even given the final cautionary paragraph, it's important to point out that the flu claims orders of magnitude more lives every year than COVID-19.
Of course, you should take reasonable precautions. But they are the same precautions you should be taking every year because of the flu. Shutting down all of civilization out of fear of what might happen in the future is just ridiculous.
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