A viruses’ survival requires a balance between transmissibility and morbidity. SARS and MERS coronaviruses caused a rapid onset of severe symptoms and had a high fatality rate, which limited the spread of the virus.
A surge of new covid-19 cases has been reported, and the news suggested the rate of Covid-19 patients may be 10x’s higher than reported. If the rate of covid-19 is 10x’s higher than reported, it suggests transmissibility may be higher and the fatality rate may be lower. It suggests many people have had the virus and not known it, or had mild symptoms that were dismissed as an allergy and the person recovered.
Covid-19 remains a serious threat, particularly to vulnerable patients. Our hope is the threat will lessen over time, as we find the means to identify and treat covid-19 early, protect vulnerable populations from severe disease, and develop a vaccine.
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