One of the sentiments I have seen over and over again on social media is that COVID-19 is just the flu. Yes, it shares similarities with the flu. Like influenza symptoms include fever, cough, aches and shortness of breath. Unlike the flu most do not experience GI distress but some do. Here are some of the key differences that have had me sounding the alarm about this virus.
The incubation period for the flu is about 24-hours to 4 days with the average being 2-days. COVID-19 has an incubation period of 2 – 27-days. Moreover, the flu is contagious for only 24-hours to 10-days whereas COVID-19 is contagious for up to 37 days. Why does this matter? You can be contagious for significantly longer with the coronavirus thus infecting a whole lot more people. And on top of that you may not show symptom but can be contagious up to 14-days. This is what makes COVID-19 a big deal.
Somewhere around 97% or more of the people who come in contact with COVID-19 will not die. Most won’t even get terribly ill. But this doesn’t mean you can’t infect others who may not be so lucky. According to the Chinese CDC 13.8% of people who contracted the coronavirus became severely ill, and 4.7% were critically ill. Currently, worldwide the fatality rate seems to be between 2 and 3.4-percent. And those who become seriously ill or die are disproportionately elderly or have underlying health conditions.
These are reasons I have been urging people who are traveling (and staying home) to think about whether it’s a good idea to give grandma a hug or whether you should be palling around with your sister who has a chronic illness. Should you self-quarantine when you return home? These are things for you to decide.