gzsg

By the numbers: This new strain of coronavirus has killed 132 people so far, all of them in China. More than 6,000 total cases have been reported worldwide, although experts believe that total is underestimated.

By comparison, this year's flu season has killed 8,200 people, with at least 15 million cases — and that's just in the U.S.

forgot to bid

Hope the China numbers are accurate

hvydvr

It's a miracle the State Department hasn't closed up shop worldwide due to the flu then. The US government doesn't evacuate a consulate for the flu. Hell, they don't even evacuate one that getting mortared. Yet, US government officials and families were evacuated from Wuhan.

Actions speak volumes. If the mortality rate is similar to the flu, then the Chinese government reaction is out of all proportion. I'm guessing their numbers are BS.

CBreezy

Odds are they are underreported. And while it certainly is a very small percentage of flu, it also isn't ubiquitous as it hasn't had the opportunity to spread. The flu doesn't kill many in August or September but we don't say "see? Hardly anyone has gotten it yet. It won't be bad this year."

The most important distinction is, at least with the flu, there is a vaccine to help protect people, like those with compromised immune systems. How would you feel if you went on a trip, interacted with someone who was a carrier of but not showing any symptoms of the coronavirus, contracted it yourself and gave it to your infant son who then subsequently died and it was completely preventable.

ERflyer

You are absolutely correct.

But there are still empty airplanes flying around and flights canceled throughout the world. They are saying the virus will peak .... in June.

Gunfighter

Based on your numbers, the mortality rate for the flu is .0005 or roughly 3.3 deaths out of 6,000 cases. The mortality rate for coronavirus based on your numbers is 132 out of 6,000. The mortality rate is 40x the flu. They are trying not to have 15 million cases...

RockyBoy

If 15 Million people get the Coronavirus way more than 8000 people will be dead. Probably around 500,000 or so. That’s the issue with these viruses that have high mortality rates. It so far isn’t as bad as SARS or MERS if the Chinese are telling the truth (unlikely) but it does spread much easier.

tennisguru

The problem is the mortality rate is very uncertain this early in the outbreak, since there may be many mild cases out there that were not and will not be reported. Only now that people are on hyper alert are they going to get a more accurate picture of the actual number of infections. There may also be a handful of deaths that go unreported as well.

Excargodog

Apples and kumquats.

influenza is generally the mode of exit for the very chronically ill, and disproportionately the very young and very old. Everybody gets it but the people who die of it tend to be the ones with one foot in the grave and the other on a cake of soap. The exception was the big flu pandemic a hundred years ago that took out young people in their prime and killed Somewhere between 3 and 5% of the worlds population:

https://www.ecohealthalliance.org/20...SAAEgLXcfD_BwE

that one seemed to take out young and healthy people at the same rate as anyone else.

Thus far the statistics are about the same for this coronaviruses, a 5%case fatality rate. That will probably go down as better tests let us diagnose more of the less severe cases, but even so, this is spreading rapidly - by people who don’t even know yet they are affected.

that doesn’t mean we should run around screaming the world is going to end, because it’s not. But we ought to be discussing prudent steps to take if it keeps spreading like it is. That’s not paranoia, just good judgment.

Gspeed

World War Z.