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COVID-19 is more deadly and more contagious than seasonal flu and may also cause long-lasting damage to survivors

The infection fatality ratio (IFR) indicates the proportion of people who die from a disease among all people infected, including both confirmed cases as well as undetected infections. The claim that COVID-19 is no more dangerous than the flu is based on a misinterpretation of the WHO’s estimate that a maximum of 10% of the global population has been infected by the virus that causes COVID-19. Calculating IFR with the upper bound of the WHO’s estimate and recent infection data underestimates the global COVID-19 IFR, which according to current estimates, is at least ten times higher than that of the flu. In addition to lethality, its global distribution, lack of vaccines or effective treatments, and potential long-term damage to survivors make COVID-19 a more significant danger compared to the flu.

Mask use does not increase risk of COVID-19 as viral social media posts claim

One key observation in the study was that cases were more than twice as likely as controls to have been to a restaurant in the 14 days before symptoms appeared. This was in spite of the fact that most cases reported wearing a mask. COVID-19 mainly spreads by respiratory droplets that are generated through coughing, sneezing, as well as talking. Face masks help to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by minimizing the generation of respiratory droplets from an infected person.

Mortality in the U.S. was more than 280,000 higher during the first eight months of 2020 than any of the previous five years over the same period

Excess mortality is a measure of how many more deaths have occurred over a period of time as compared to the same period in previous years. During the first 34 weeks of 2020, 280,000 more people died than during the first 34 weeks of any of the five previous years. From March to August 2020, the number of weekly deaths was consistently higher compared to the weekly deaths of any of the previous five years. The 280,000 excess deaths that occurred in 2020 thus far are likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The flu shot is an effective measure to protect people from flu, and enhances protection when used with face masks

Scientific evidence demonstrates that face masks reduce the transmission of viral respiratory infections like COVID-19 and the flu. However, they do not provide 100% protection from infection. Therefore, additional measures like physical distancing and good hand hygiene are important as additional protection. In the case of the flu, a preventative vaccine is available, making it another useful measure for enhancing protection against flu. Like face masks, the flu vaccine does not provide 100% protection. But even in cases where the vaccine does not prevent the flu, it can still help to reduce the severity of illness and in turn the likelihood of flu-related complications and death.

COVID-19 is at least an order of magnitude more deadly than seasonal flu, according to current estimates

The measure that best describes the lethality of an infectious disease is the infection fatality ratio (IFR). The IFR indicates the proportion of people who die from a disease among all the people infected, including both confirmed cases as well as undetected infections. According to their respective IFR estimates, COVID-19 is at least ten times more deadly than an average flu season, particularly for middle-aged and elderly. Furthermore, the lack of effective treatments or vaccines for COVID-19, along with potential long-term damage, make COVID-19 a serious health threat.

The total number of COVID-19 deaths thus far exceeds the number of abortions over two days worldwide

The number of abortions occurring worldwide over two days is roughly 400,000, based on annual estimates from between 2015 and 2019 from a study published in July 2020 in the journal The Lancet Global Health. Although the global number of abortions carried out over two days did exceed the total number of COVID-19 deaths reported in March 2020, when this claim surfaced, the number of deaths from COVID-19 has been growing steadily over time. In fact, the global number of COVID-19 deaths approached and crossed the 400,000 mark in June 2020. Therefore, this comparison is no longer accurate.

COVID-19 has caused many deaths due to high virus transmission, despite its relatively small infection fatality ratio

The infection fatality ratio (IFR) is the proportion of deaths among all infections, both confirmed and undetected cases. While the IFR for COVID-19 is relatively low for most people except for the elderly, it is only one factor to consider when assessing the public health threat posed by a disease. Despite its relatively low IFR, COVID-19 has caused a large number of deaths due to its high transmission. In less than a year, more than 200,000 deaths have occurred in the U.S. and at least 1 million deaths have occurred worldwide as a result of COVID-19.

Using face masks does not increase the risk of skin or oral infections

Face masks are effective at reducing the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 by limiting the transmission of respiratory droplets. Scientific evidence does not support the claim that wearing face masks increases the risk of oral and skin infections or bacterial overgrowth. In some cases, prolonged wearing of face masks might cause skin irritation, but this can be prevented by selecting comfortable masks and following proper hygiene guidelines.