Corona Virus Crisis Discussion Thread

[Canadian Visitor]

I'm simply putting facts forward.

The impacts of Covid, both the virus itself and the response to it are indeed different from the Flu.

Though, the true CFR [[case fatality rate) of Covid is likely no more than double that of influenza, excepting if a healthcare system becomes overloaded/collapses, which will of course inflate deaths.

What the evidence certainly supports at this point is that Covid spreads much more quickly than the typical influenza.

The rapidity of spread is what threatens healthcare systems not designed or operated to handle surges much above 10%.

In a super-cluster event, you're seeing hospital/ICU demand spike, sometimes by over 100% in as little as a few days.

If the hospital is under-prepared for a pandemic protocol, lacking or failing to employ proper use of isolation procedures and use of PPE, the risk that a significant number of healthcare staff will both become ill; and a source of further transmission within the hospital is material.

That clearly happened in Italy, where early in the outbreak 15% of medical staff were either in treatment themselves or had to isolate at home.

That, while their system was experiencing a huge surge in demand.

The risk of influenza spreading in a healthcare setting is also material; but not likely as high as Covid; further the period of asymptomatic transmissibility with Covid likely led to unknowning spread before measures were taken.

This has been true in the U.S. and Canada as well, less so in hospitals than what was seen in Europe, but very much a problem in Long-Term Care/Nursing home settings.

Over 50% of Canada's Covid deaths have been in LTC/Nursing homes.

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The high rate of transmission, including among asymptomatic people, further informs the public response action [[lockdowns/stay-at-homes) which obviously have their own effects on a country.