LET there be no mistake about this: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has already higher death rates than the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus in 2002, which also broke out in China.
The overall death rate for SARS was 10 percent. Meanwhile, as of Jan. 2, COVID-19 already logged a death rate of 15 percent. I hope that it will not be far worse than the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) corona virus, which had a death rate of 37 percent.
I am wondering. What is in China that seems to make it a favorite outbreak area for coronaviruses?
Moreover, so far, only 5.1 percent of the infections had been identified as the novel betacoronavirus. A large number of infections are still to be detected and diagnosed. In fact, epidemiologists worry that these betacoronaviruses are only the tip of the iceberg of more new and severe zoonotic infections still unknown.
Recent scientific evidence indicates some points of caution.
First, the males are more vulnerable than females. Of the 41 early-admitted patients in Wuhan, China, 73 percent were men, reported professor Chaolin Huang and colleagues in the Jan. 24, 2020 issue of “The Lancet.” This means that males from children to the elderly must refrain from frequenting crowded locations.
Second, almost a third (32 percent) of those infected had underlying long-term diseases, such as diabetes (20 percent), high blood pressure (15 percent) and cardiovascular disease (15 percent). Thus, the warning above applies also to Filipinos with underlying long-term diseases, particularly those already in maintenance medications.
Third, the most profound symptoms are fever (98 percent), cough (76 percent) and breathing difficulty (55 percent), which was observed within eight days from infection. Less frequent symptoms include fatigue or muscle pain (44 percent) and increased sputum (28 percent). More than half (63 percent) of the patients had low blood lymphocytes, white blood cells that are active in attacking viruses. This indicates that when a person feels the need to be hospitalized, his or her lymphocytes may have already been reduced significantly in their fight against the betacoronavirus. Thus, watch out for these symptoms around you or in laboratory results if you have taken one for general checkup.
Lastly, complications observed include acute respiratory distress (29 percent), RNAemia or reduction of ribosomal genetic materials (15 percent) and acute injury of the heart (12 percent).
Betacoronavirus are minute creatures that may have existed in nature or have mutated because of human actions. It also demonstrates how vulnerable human beings are. Thus, it is a reminder that we are not invincible. As one human race, our prayers can help those who are already infected.