• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
Friday, May 20, 2022
The Millennial Source
TMS
Home WORLD

COVID-19 numbers pale in comparison to other diseases, but experts heed caution

March 14, 2020
in WORLD
Source: Baystate Health

Source: Baystate Health

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin



Worldwide, the latest numbers on the coronavirus shows over 145,000 cases, 5,400 deaths, and over 72,000 recoveries. 

In the United States, there are now over 2,000 cases and 50 people have died.

Notably, cases in China have significantly dropped off, suggesting that the virus can be contained given the appropriate response. In China’s Hubei province, the original epicenter of the virus, only five new cases were reported on March 12 with just eight recorded on March 11.  

As the US ramps up its fight against the virus, and other places in Europe and the Middle East grapple with their own increases, experts and policy makers are working to prepare healthcare systems. 

However, there is still disagreement on how society should react. 

Other diseases and viruses cause more deaths

Over the past several weeks, the US and other western countries began facing the prospect of a serious medical crisis with the spread of COVID-19. However, some have argued that people are overreacting to the threat of the virus. 

Echoing this sentiment, last week President Trump tweeted that “last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu.” Trump went on to assert that “Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on.”

So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 9, 2020

The oft-repeated claim that more people have died from the common flu than from COVID-19 is true, for now, as the number of deaths caused by coronavirus hasn’t yet come close to rivaling other major diseases and the seasonal flu. 

In 2009, H1N1 killed between 151,700 to  575,400 people worldwide, much higher than the current COVID-19 numbers.

However, experts have warned that there is a major difference as the coronavirus has not infected nearly as many people as the seasonal flu does on a yearly basis and as H1N1 did in 2009. 

This fact, combined with statistics that show that the coronavirus is deadlier than the seasonal flu, especially among individuals who are older or have compromised immune systems, has experts emphasizing that the threat posed by COVID-19 is a serious one.

Another major concern is that COVID-19 could overwhelm the US healthcare system, leading to a lack of health supplies and less personnel to take care of the sick.

“Unless we are able to implement dramatic isolation measures like some places in China, we’ll be presented with overwhelming numbers of coronavirus patients – two to 10 times as we see at peak influenza times,” said the University of Nebraska’s Dr. James Lawler.

Worst case scenario 

Last month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) convened a meeting with local and international experts where they discussed the possible trajectories of the virus within the United States.

During the meeting, it was reported that in the worst case scenario approximately 160 million to 214 million people in the US could get infected, nearly half to two-thirds of the population, with 2.4 million to 21 million people requiring hospitalization and the number of dead ranging anywhere from 200,000 to 1.7 million.

While these numbers are dependent on a number of variables that are hard to account for, it demonstrates the seriousness of the threat in the eyes of experts. 
However, if these numbers were to become a reality, COVID-19 would end up as one of the leading causes of death in the US.

[article_ad]

Have a tip or story? Get in touch with our reporters here! 

Related

Tags: Short read
Share8TweetShare

Latest Posts

Trump warns Iran of “1,000 times greater” response to any assassination plot or attack on US

Trump warns Iran of “1,000 times greater” response to any assassination plot or attack on US

September 17, 2020
world reacts to uae and israel normalising diplomatic ties

World reacts to UAE and Israel move to normalize diplomatic ties

August 14, 2020
Justice Department accuses Yale University of racial discrimination in undergraduate admissions process

US Department of Justice accuses Yale University of racial discrimination in admissions process

August 14, 2020

Resurgence of COVID-19 potentially theatens New Zealand election date

August 13, 2020

Biden and Harris pledge to lead America out of crisis in first public event since VP announcement

August 13, 2020

Jimmy Lai released on bail as Next Digital stock price soars

August 12, 2020

History made as Joe Biden picks Kamala Harris for his vice-presidential 2020 election running mate

August 12, 2020

Russian vaccine becomes the first coronavirus vaccine to be approved, but concerns linger over rushed testing process

August 11, 2020

Seattle police chief retires after city council votes to cut US$3.5 million from the police budget

August 11, 2020

SUBSCRIBE TO THE TMS NEWSLETTER

By providing your email, you agree to our Privacy Policy

The Millennial Source Ltd. 2021

No Result
View All Result
  • Your daily briefing
  • About us
  • Explore
    • Startups
    • Climate change
    • Tech giants
    • Crypto
    • The future of work
    • Banking giants
    • Economy
  • Lifestyle
  • TMS archives
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy & Terms

© 2022 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

string(24) "jsonld single post debug"
The Millennial Source
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.