The Cure for the Common Corona
Judging by the media hype there is nothing common about the Coronavirus. If you had been at Costco in the last two weeks you would have been freaked out. What is better than having a deadly and rapidly transmittable virus and a media frenzy scaring people to all going to the same store so that they can infect each other? It is just another reason to buy on Amazon and avoid going shopping. I don’t have all the answers and won’t be able to offer my readers the cure for the common Corona. Maybe you’ll survive Corona. Maybe you won’t.
What is Coronavirus?
Most likely you or someone you know has had coronavirus in their lifetime. Just last week I had a patient who tested positive for coronavirus. Not the new coronavirus everyone has heard about, but the other strains of Coronavirus that doctors see every day. It is a common respiratory pathogen (meaning common bug) that causes cold like symptoms (Fever, cough, congestion, etc.). The coronavirus has been around for many years. The new strain of Coronavirus (Covid-19) has caught a lot of media attention recently because it seems to pack a larger punch than other strains of coronavirus that we commonly see.
There are many types of viruses that cause similar symptoms. Influenza is one of them. Certain strains of Coronavirus like SARS and MERS have been more deadly but not as widespread.
SARS had a mortality rate of about 10% for the average population but 50% for those over age 60. MERS had a mortality rate of 34%. Fortunately those viruses have not re-emerged for many years.
Covid-19 Mortality
Coronavirus (Covid-19) has a published mortality rate of 3.4% according to the evolving published reports. The media loves publishing this number because it creates shock and awe. Any disease that kills 3-4% of the population seems pretty serious. If all 7 billion people in the world got the virus then 238 million people would die. Pretty crazy.
Inevitably there are significant problems publishing a number of 3.4%. In reality this number is probably more like 1% or even less than that. How can I say that?
Covid-19 is a virus that causes features of the common cold. The majority of people who have cough and congestion will not seek medical attention or get testing. At least in the United States testing for Covid-19 has been limited to patients who are extremely ill and don’t have alternate sources of infection (such as the flu). Until one week ago we actually weren’t even able to test for Covid-19 at most hospitals in the USA.
This means that we likely have thousands of patients in our community with Coronavirus who will never be tested because they don’t feel sick enough or they don’t meet the threshold of illness that the Health Department has required. The mortality rate is therefore likely falsely elevated.
The death rate for Influenza is around 0.1%. We test everyone and their dog for the flu. If you have the flu, you know it. We have a much better estimate of what the true mortality for the flu is.
This is not Ebola, MERS, Smallpox, or SARS. The CDC estimates that the mortality rate for Covid-19 is actually between 0.5% to 1%. Still a pretty dangerous virus for the population as a whole.
Should I Be Scared?
If you want to be scared than go for it. If it were Ebola I would be frightened. If anyone is going to get coronavirus it’s me. Just another reason for you not to be my friend.
I found this graph recently of mortality from coronavirus. Most people who die from Covid-19 have major health conditions. Anyone 50 and below has very little risk of dying from this illness. If I were 70 years or older, had cancer, or chronic lung conditions though I would be running for the hills.
What Can you Do?
In my last 9 years of practicing medicine I haven’t seen mania like this. I have gotten probably 10 emails daily for the past two weeks updating me on coronavirus from my local hospitals, national physician groups, airlines, and even my favorite golf courses.
I have a trip planned for Bandon Dunes tomorrow. It is the number one golf destination in the world. I planned the trip with three other friends over one year ago. My friend Steve canceled today. He told Bandon that he was afraid of Corona. They didn’t ask questions. They just gave him all of his non-refundable money back.
If you are afraid then don’t go out. If you are 70+ then stay away from people with fevers, or from people in general. For most of us just live your life as usual. Wash your hands, don’t shake peoples hands, take showers, exercise, etc. Try to find someone to be nice to. Your life will be better. Take a vacation to Hawaii while the airline tickets are cheap. If you die of Corona you may as well be in paradise.
I choose not to get too worked up about the Coronavirus. Maybe it’s because I haven’t witnessed it’s devastation firsthand. More likely it’s because based off the published reputable reports it doesn’t seem to be a major harm to young healthy people.
Most parents would be most concerned about their kids. They seem to be the least affected however. I worry about the older generation and hope nobody I know gets really sick from it. Unfortunately sad and scary things happen every day. I choose to avoid doing stupid things for the most part and try to stay healthy the best I know how. I advise the same for you.
About the Author
I am a husband, father, ER doctor, and an avid golfer. With a handicap of 2.8 I have a fairly legitimate claim to be among the Top 100 Physician Golfers in the United States. You can read more about my story on my about page. Feel free to contact me or follow my sites on social media.
