COVID-19 Update

With all that is happening, I feel it is important that I write about what is happening in our community. There is a lot of fear in the air as people are told to stay at home, schools close down, adults losing their jobs, hours are being cut back, and all over a germ that has not really even made a real impact as far as deaths in this country. My goal today is not to underpay the COVID-19 Virus, but to help people to realize that the amount of deaths that have actually occurred from this virus are minuscule compared to the deaths cause by even the common flu bug.

Influenza

Data are for the U.S. (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/flu.htm

Vaccination

Percent of children aged 6 months to 17 years who received an influenza vaccination during the past 12 months: 50.4%

Percent of adults aged 18-49 who received an influenza vaccination during the past 12 months: 34.2%

Percent of adults aged 50-64 who received an influenza vaccination during the past 12 months: 46.8%

Percent of adults aged 65 and over who received an influenza vaccination during the past 12 months: 68.7%

Source: Early release of selected estimates based on data from the 2018 National Health Interview Survey, data table for figure 4.2

Mortality

Number of deaths: 6,515

Deaths per 100,000 population: 2.0

To put that into perspective, the number of corona virus deaths WORLD WIDE are only about 6,000. That means, that the common flu has already killed more people in America than the corona virus has throughout the world! https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/16/816309232/global-deaths-from-coronavirus-surpass-6-000

The number of people in the world are about 7 billion! That is .0000000857% of the world that is actually affected by it. The problem with the corona virus is not the virus itself. It is the fear associated with people caught up in the mass hysteria. The irresponsible news media will have you to believe the world is ending. It has caused people to buy up all the toilet paper. What does the flu have to do with toilet paper? It is an upper respiratory disease, not a lower bowel disease.

Those who this virus truly affects are the older people who have a lowered immune system and babies. The only thing that can really harm our country out of this is not so much the virus, but the panic and bad politics.

We hope you stay healthy, and do what you need to do in order to keep yourself that way. Please use common sense and be sensitive to the needs of others. Do your own research and keep a cool head. You do not have to be caught up in all the fear happening around you.