Coronavirus 10 Times Deadlier ThanSwine Flu: WHO

The novel coronavirus is 10 times deadlier than the swine flu, which sparked a global pandemic in 2009, according to the World Health Organisation on Monday, emphasizing the vaccine would be necessary to stop the infection in whole.

WHO President Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a simulated Geneva briefing that the organization was continuously worried about the new epidemic that is killing the globe, which has destroyed 115,000 people and infected more than 1.8 million.

"We know that COVID-19 spreads fast, and we know that it is deadly, 10 times deadlier than the 2009 flu pandemic," he said.

WHO says that 18,500 people died of "swine flu" or H1N1, which was first identified in Mexico and the United States in March 2009, but Lancet Medical reported the death to be between 151,700 and 575,400.

The Lancet study reported recorded deaths in Africa and South-East Asia that were not compensated for by the WHO.

The outbreak, which was declared a pandemic in June 2009 and considered over by August 2010, turned out to be not as deadly as first feared.

WHO says that 18,500 people died of "swine flu" or H1N1, which was first identified in Mexico and the United States in March 2009, but Lancet Medical reported the death to be between 151,700 and 575,400.

The Lancet study reported recorded deaths in Africa and South-East Asia that were not accounted for by the WHO.

Tedros lamented Monday that certain countries are seeing a doubling in cases every three or four days, but emphasized that if countries were dedicated or "early case-finding, checking, isolating (and) taking care of every event and tracking every touch," they might be able to reel back the virus.

More than half of the planet's population is currently staying home as part of efforts to stem the spread of the virus, but Tedros warned that "our global connectedness means the risk of re-introduction and resurgence of the disease will continue".

He pointed out that while COVID-19 had accelerated quickly, "it decelerates much more slowly."

"In other words, the way down is much slower than the way up," he said, stressing that "control measures must be lifted slowly, and with control. It cannot happen all at once."

Source: AFP