COVID-19

As you know coronavirus or COVID-19 is closing down our schools, but what is making it so scary and how can we respond?

One thing that worries experts is the reproductive number, commonly simplified as r-naught. It is the number of  people a person infected can spread. The number for coronavirus is about three people. The virus that has the highest r-naught is measles, with 12-18. Other high r-naught virus includes Pertussis (Whooping Cough), Diptheria, and polio. COVID-19 spreads through the air, and also contaminated surfaces, and also fecal-oral transmission.

Basic reproduction numbers and implied crude HPT for various communicable diseases 13,19 Source: Scarbrough Lefebvre, Carla D., Augustin Terlinden, and Baudouin Standaert. “Dissecting the indirect effects caused by vaccines into the basic elements.” Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics 11.9 (2015): 2142-2157.

This virus has a death rate or fatality rate of 2-3%, which means out of one hundred infected, two to three will die usually. The seasonal flu kills 0.1%, other types kill differently. The H5N1 subtype flu kills 60%. Ebola kills 50%. Some of COVID-19 cousins, SARS(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) kills 10%, MERS(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) kills 40%. The most scariest, Rabies, if untreated, kills every single victim.

The incubation period for COVID-19 is 2-14 days, most likely 8 days. This is a threat since asymptomatic spread for this virus. The flu incubation period is 1-4 days, said by the CDC. Tuberculosis on the other hand, can have a incubation as long as 50 whole years!

But you can also help to stop this virus, the most effective is to wash your hands with soap and water frequently. Also avoid parties and other places where it is crowded. Try to keep you distance of 6 feet away from people.

Help to stop coronavirus!

One thought on “COVID-19

  1. Hi Jiayang – that’s a lot of information, and scary stuff. As you said, we can help stop this virus, and hope everyone is doing their part. -Mrs. Noonan

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