Coronavirus pandemic: myths and reality

The coronavirus infection nevertheless received the status of a pandemic and was instantly “overgrown with myths.” Is COVID-19 really so dangerous? What are the future predictions? And is there a way to protect yourself?

Coronavirus COVID-19 – more dangerous than all previous

It is a myth. The mortality rate from the two previous “global” coronavirus infections (MERS and SARS) was 34.4% and 9.6%, respectively. This is significantly higher than today’s 3.6% of COVID-19.

More deaths than flu

3d render impression of floating coronavirus cells. Coronaviruses cause respiratory tract infections in humans and are connected with common colds, pneumonia and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

This is not entirely true. Estimating statistics in percentage terms, mortality from influenza and COVID-19 is 1 and 3%, respectively. However, in absolute terms, the situation looks very different.

As the head of the department of experimental modeling and pathogenesis of infectious diseases at the Federal Research Center for Fundamental and Translational Medicine Alexander Shestopalov notes, “the mortality rate from the new coronavirus over the entire period of its spread is incomparable with the common flu. Thus, the United States reported that 75 thousand people have already died of the flu this year. ” Not to mention the mortality rate from tuberculosis, which amounts to about 5000 thousand people daily.

Coronavirus infection is always difficult

It is a myth. About 80% of those infected carry the infection in a moderate, mild, or even asymptomatic form. A severe course is still typical only for people: over 60 years old, with chronic diseases and weakened immunity.

Coronavirus virus outbreak and coronaviruses influenza background as dangerous flu strain cases as a pandemic medical health risk concept with disease cells as a 3D render

Masks can protect

It is a myth. Face masks help reduce the spread of the virus when an already infected person sneezes and coughs, but they cannot protect against infection.

As measures of protection and “containment” of infection, WHO recommends:

frequent hand and food washing;
restricting visits to crowded places,
keeping a distance of at least 1 meter from each other in public transport,
an immediate visit to a doctor when the first symptoms of ARVI appear.
Forecasts

Russian and Chinese scientists predict a decline in infection by June-July this year. The peak incidence in China itself was passed on February 2. At the same time, experts note that global containment measures for the coronavirus are quite adequate, although in places they are redundant. And around the situation with COVID-19 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19 – 50% panic.

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