The new coronavirus is undoubtedly something to be dreaded as it spreads over the world and closes down individuals and businesses in our towns and across the United States, thus decreasing the ratio of getting COVID tests.
But what distinguishes this virus, which has triggered the greatest epidemic in a century, from the other many viruses known to infect humans?
The COVID-19 virus is not the worst one.
According to Rapid COVID tests, COVID-19 may be about ten times more deadly than the seasonal flu resulting in death in only about 0.1 percent of those infected. However, scientists won’t know for sure until testing is widely available.
Given that some mild cases and fatalities have gone unreported, researchers also lack the precise data necessary to calculate the actual percentage of mortality caused by this viral infection. But whenever the numbers are gathered, researchers anticipate that the fatality rate will be lower than what we are now witnessing in hotspots worldwide.
It’s also not the virus that spreads the fastest.
According to Michael J. Buchmeier, Ph.D., an infectious diseases professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, this virus is roughly as contagious as the seasonal flu, with one individual infecting two or three others.
Compare that to measles, which may affect 18 people, or chickenpox, which can affect 12 people at once. However, vaccinations are effective in preventing these two highly infectious illnesses.
Nobody is Safe.
However, because it is a virus that has never been observed in people, nobody is resistant to it. Its ability to infect the upper respiratory system and move from person to person with the same ease as influenza makes it particularly hazardous. There is also no vaccination.
According to researchers, coughing, sneezing, huffing, and maybe even loud talking can transmit the illness since the COVID-19 virus is present in the upper airways, including the mouth and nose. In addition, we are finding that sick people inadvertently spread the virus days before they start to show symptoms.
SARS and MERS did not spread as rapidly or broadly.
The virus that causes COVID-19 is comparable to the one that causes SARS; in fact, it is known as SARS-CoV-2. According to Buchmeier, it binds to the same receptors as SARS-CoV-1 but is stickier. As a result, the virus may enter cells more quickly, take hold more firmly, and propagate across the body more swiftly.
This virus can cause pneumonia when it affects the lungs and bronchial tubes in the lower respiratory tract.
The body responds by inducing an inflammatory reaction to combat the intruder. About 15% of persons experience a cyclical immune system overreaction known as a cytokine storm due to this immunological response.
According to researchers, “Cytokine synthesis is a typical immunological reaction to try to eliminate the virus.” “Under normal conditions, the response peaks early, eradicates the virus and aids in the production of antibodies and T cells that are particular to the virus. However, the cytokine response can last too long and be too intense in some COVID-19 individuals.
According to researchers, the virus may or may not be directly responsible for the significant lung damage. But the cytokine storm can also cause heart, renal, and coagulopathy (clot formation) damage.
According to researchers, this makes some individuals extremely unwell or even kills them. Researchers have reported similar cytokine overreactions in response to different coronaviruses.
Differences: Flu and Covid-19 as a Cause
- COVID-19: There are several SARS-CoV-2 strains, which vary in how serious or contagious they are and can be distinguished with PCR tests.
- Influenza virus: the source of the flu. The influenza A and influenza B viruses are the two primary strains. Each year, new influenza A and B viruses appear and spread.
Symptoms
- COVID-19: Many coronavirus-infected individuals do not have any symptoms or only have minor ones, yet they can still spread the illness to others.
Sometimes, COVID-19 might cause a person to suddenly lose their sense of taste or smell (anosmia) (ageusia). This can happen with some flu virus types, albeit it seldom does that further needs to be tested for COVID test.
- Flu: The flu usually does not alter a person’s sense of taste or smell, although it does share many COVID-19-like symptoms. Rarely, such as during the 1918 flu pandemic, does a specific influenza strain lead to widespread loss of taste or smell in susceptible individuals.
