Well look at this!
On the first page of this thread I noted that even if "the number of deaths increases by 100x, it will be still less deadly than the common flu."
And this sad fact is going to make the front page of . . . exactly zero papers in the US that are covering coronavirus:
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A record-breaking 105 US children have died from flu so far this season
By Gina Yu, CNN
Updated 1:34 PM ET, Fri February 21, 2020
It has been an "unusual" flu season with a higher proportion of children and young adults affected than the older population, according to Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The earlier prevalence of influenza B -- a flu strain that tends to be more common in children -- could be a reason why more children were affected, Schaffner said. Also, as the number of influenza B cases decreased, the number of H1N1 cases increased, he said. H1N1 is a subtype of the influenza A strain, which also affects children more than adults.
"This is the first time in 25 years where [influenza B] became so common so early," said Dr. Buddy Creech, an associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
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Flu death toll quietly soared to 328 in California as coronavirus fears gripped U.S.
BY CATHIE ANDERSON
FEBRUARY 20, 2020
While Americans have been transfixed by concerns about the potential spread of new coronavirus in the United States, a growing number of U.S. citizens have been dying as a result of the seasonal influenza epidemic.
Public health officials announced Jan. 21 that the first confirmed case of COVID-19 arrived in the U.S. Since then, 14 other cases have been reported. During that same time period, more than 100 people have died of the flu in California.
All told, the state Department of Public Health reported figures on Friday that show the death toll from the flu is 58 percent higher now than in the comparable period last year. In the 2019-20 season, CDPH said, 328 people died of influenza, roughly 80 percent of them since the new year began.
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Moral of the story - by all means, let's work on a COVID-19 vaccine. But in the meantime, if you're worried about being killed by an infectious disease - get a flu vaccine and wash your hands. And be a lot more worried about the guy in the next office with a fever than getting COVID-19 from a Chinese traveler.
On the first page of this thread I noted that even if "the number of deaths increases by 100x, it will be still less deadly than the common flu."
And this sad fact is going to make the front page of . . . exactly zero papers in the US that are covering coronavirus:
=======================
A record-breaking 105 US children have died from flu so far this season
By Gina Yu, CNN
Updated 1:34 PM ET, Fri February 21, 2020
It has been an "unusual" flu season with a higher proportion of children and young adults affected than the older population, according to Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The earlier prevalence of influenza B -- a flu strain that tends to be more common in children -- could be a reason why more children were affected, Schaffner said. Also, as the number of influenza B cases decreased, the number of H1N1 cases increased, he said. H1N1 is a subtype of the influenza A strain, which also affects children more than adults.
"This is the first time in 25 years where [influenza B] became so common so early," said Dr. Buddy Creech, an associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
========================
Flu death toll quietly soared to 328 in California as coronavirus fears gripped U.S.
BY CATHIE ANDERSON
FEBRUARY 20, 2020
While Americans have been transfixed by concerns about the potential spread of new coronavirus in the United States, a growing number of U.S. citizens have been dying as a result of the seasonal influenza epidemic.
Public health officials announced Jan. 21 that the first confirmed case of COVID-19 arrived in the U.S. Since then, 14 other cases have been reported. During that same time period, more than 100 people have died of the flu in California.
All told, the state Department of Public Health reported figures on Friday that show the death toll from the flu is 58 percent higher now than in the comparable period last year. In the 2019-20 season, CDPH said, 328 people died of influenza, roughly 80 percent of them since the new year began.
======================
Moral of the story - by all means, let's work on a COVID-19 vaccine. But in the meantime, if you're worried about being killed by an infectious disease - get a flu vaccine and wash your hands. And be a lot more worried about the guy in the next office with a fever than getting COVID-19 from a Chinese traveler.
