Immunologist Describes Difference between Flu and COVID-19
 

For those still unclear for how the two diseases differ, this is an excellent explanation. I know there are those who will never believe the most cojent explanation, but for those wishing to truly understand, I found this extremely helpful.

This is from an immunologist at Johns Hopkins University:
Feeling confused as to why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than Seasonal flu? Here it is in a nutshell. I hope this helps. Feel free to share this to others who don’t understand...
It has to do with RNA sequencing.... I.e. genetics.
Seasonal flu is an “all human virus”. The DNA/RNA chains that make up the virus are recognized by the human immune system. This means that your body has some immunity to it before it comes around each year... you get immunity two ways...through exposure to a virus, or by getting a flu shot.
Novel viruses, come from animals.... the WHO tracks novel viruses in animals, (sometimes for years watching for mutations). Usually these viruses only transfer from animal to animal (pigs in the case of H1N1) (birds in the case of the Spanish flu). But once, one of these animal viruses mutates, and starts to transfer from animals to humans... then it’s a problem, Why? Because we have no natural or acquired immunity.. the RNA sequencing of the genes inside the virus isn’t human, and the human immune system doesn’t recognize it so, we can’t fight it off.
Now.... sometimes, the mutation only allows transfer from animal to human, for years it’s only transmission is from an infected animal to a human before it finally mutates so that it can now transfer human to human... once that happens..we have a new contagion phase. And depending on the fashion of this new mutation, thats what decides how contagious, or how deadly it’s gonna be..
H1N1 was deadly....but it did not mutate in a way that was as deadly as the Spanish flu. It’s RNA was slower to mutate and it attacked its host differently, too.
Fast forward.
Now, here comes this Coronavirus... it existed in animals only, for nobody knows how long...but one day, at an animal market, in Wuhan China, in December 2019, it mutated and made the jump from animal to people. At first, only animals could give it to a person... But here is the scary part.... in just TWO WEEKS it mutated again and gained the ability to jump from human to human. Scientists call this quick ability, “slippery”
This Coronavirus, not being in any form a “human” virus (whereas we would all have some natural or acquired immunity). Took off like a rocket. And this was because, Humans have no known immunity...doctors have no known medicines for it.
And it just so happens that this particular mutated animal virus, changed itself in such a way the way that it causes great damage to human lungs..
That’s why Coronavirus is different from seasonal flu, or H1N1 or any other type of influenza.... this one is slippery! And it’s a lung eater...And, it’s already mutated AGAIN, so that we now have two strains to deal with, strain s, and strain L....which makes it twice as hard to develop a vaccine.
We really have no tools in our shed, with this. History has shown that fast and immediate closings of public places has helped in the past pandemics. Philadelphia and Baltimore were reluctant to close events in 1918 and they were the hardest hit in the US during the Spanish Flu.
Factoid: Henry VIII stayed in his room and allowed no one near him, till the Black Plague passed...(honestly...I understand him so much better now). Just like us, he had no tools in his shed, except social isolation...
And let me end by saying....right now it’s hitting older folks harder... but this genome is so slippery...if it mutates again (and it will). Who is to say, what it will do next.
Be smart folks... acting like you’re unafraid is so not sexy right now.
#flattenthecurve. Stay home folks... and share this to those that just are not catching on. 🤓

Thanks for this; any reference or link you can share?

Yet other specialists, like the prof at Stanford, say we are over-reacting. Who to believe?

Citation?

You sure about that?

Seems odd that a JH immunologist would include a "hashtag" and/or "share" request in such correspondence.

Unfortunately, there is a LOT of misinformation about this virus floating around lately, and some of the info in that quoted message sounds a little like that of the many "Twitter Scientists" out there.

Good effort though Bob...we just have to really audit our info sources on this thing.

SmileWavy

How'd you miss this?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1055301-finally-read-article-i-would-have-written.html

It reads like typical internet “let’s drive panic” nonsense that grandmas pass around on the facebook. Both in writing style, and content.

For example:

“ Because we have no natural or acquired immunity.. the RNA sequencing of the genes inside the virus isn’t human, and the human immune system doesn’t recognize it so, we can’t fight it off.”

So I guess Tom Hanks and the thousands and thousands of others who have easily fought it off aren’t human.

Also, he has no idea how to use commas.

Yep, cut and paste the first few sentences in your google machine and you’ll see it’s of course not written by an immunologist at Johns Hopkins.
Or by any doctor at all.
It’s something some random person posted on . . . Wait for it . . . Teh Facebook.

Common sense, people!

I am curious...

What "authorities" do some of you believe are credible when the question is:

"How is the novel corona virus and associated covid-19 disease different from seasonal flu?"

Here is a link to what my web browser suggests is a related JH article:

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-disease-2019-vs-the-flu

I have been looking for information about hospitalization rates-- novel coronavirus versus seasonal flu... nothing has popped so far. Will keep looking.

My current hypothesis is that this novel virus is significantly more contagious for a number of reasons, and that the morbidity is perhaps higher as well.

I suspect that from a purely economical standpoint, coronavirus care requiring hospitalization (especially ICU care) with current Rx approaches and no vaccine could be signficant. And in the US, government healthcare pays these costs.

More on this from CDC:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/types.html

https://www.livingstonparishnews.com/coronavirus/harvard-professor-explains-importance-social-distancing-flattening-the-curve/article_c85ccf6e-67b2-11ea-b833-673db59debb3.html

A lot of discussion here about the origins and an explanation of why the "author" was wrong about what a coronavirus is.

Bob, you might want to delete your initial post as there is no credible source for it and it has been pulled from other sites.