Search Results for covid-19

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.

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.

COVID-19 vaccines do not modify the human genome and do not involve hydrogels; hydrogels are not internet-connecting devices

No evidence suggests that COVID-19 vaccines will use hydrogels, which are polymers that swell without dissolving when in contact with water. Hydrogels are not a recent discovery; they have been publicly known and extensively used in biomedical research for decades. Hydrogels do not connect to the internet. Finally, mRNA-based vaccines for COVID-19 cannot alter the human genome, which is made of DNA.

The genetic features of the virus causing COVID-19 are compatible with natural evolution, and therefore, don’t prove that the virus was constructed

Although the exact origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus remains unknown, previous claims that the virus contained artificial elements or that it had been patented were debunked. The virus most likely originated in nature, probably in bats, according to the genetic similarity between SARS-CoV-2 and other animal coronaviruses. Dr. Yan claims to prove that the SARS-COV-2 virus originated in a lab, but a careful analysis of her pre-print actually shows this claim is unsubstantiated.

Tuberculosis, the flu, and COVID-19 differ in disease prevalence and burden, requiring different public health responses

COVID-19, tuberculosis (TB), and the flu are all respiratory illnesses that spread through the air, hence protective measures recommended for these diseases are similar. However, the three diseases differ in disease prevalence and burden, leading public health officials to devise recommendations specific to each disease. Unlike TB and the flu, there are no effective treatments or vaccines for COVID-19. The number of TB cases in the U.S. is extremely low, and the flu has a lower mortality rate than COVID-19. These factors taken together explain why public health measures for controlling COVID-19 spread are needed in the community, but not implemented in the case of TB and the seasonal flu.