COVID 19 Update Feb 17, 2020
Feb 17, 2020 update.
The cornonavirus outbreak had its name changed to COVID19. There are over 70,000 thousand people affected mostly in China, and this is derived from very soft data. There have been 1700 health care workers affected, including 6 doctors who are now deceased. It is unkown whether they failed to use rigorous precautions, or whether they failed. We do have a small snapshot of better data by looking at closed data. Of 11, 208 closed cases, 85% fully recovered and 15% are in the critical or deceased category. There are a lot of variables, cultural and otherwise. China has been convinced to use diagnostic criteria similar to the west, which will change data. Traditionally, they complete death certificates differently than in the west. There is no effective cure other than our immune system as of yet. Lab testing is available for those meeting strict criteria. Simple masks probably afford some protection but no where close to complete. Those planning to travel in the next few months, should watch the situation, and check insurance coverages. They may end up stranded or quarantined or even in a foreign hospital. Influenza in Canada compares much less significantly. COVID19 is a single virus and data is from the last 30 days. In the last 5 months, numerous different influenza viruses have caused about 27,000 infections altogether in Canada, but only 65 deaths, many of whom had other co-morbities.