One BILLION Common Colds (Rhinoviruses) are Caught Each Year Now 46% of Americans are Projected to Catch the Corona virus
So, you thought the Coronavirus was bad with the latest projections estimating 46% of Americans will catch it?
Well, that’s nothing compared to this other plague. Medical experts now say virtually 100%–that’s right—100% of Americans will catch the extremely contagious Rhinovirus.
And just what is the Rhinovirus? The common cold. Yes, the common cold, and there are one BILLION cases of the cold every year. And while we’re examining the numbers, 20% of Americans get the Flu each year.
These are the numbers from Dr. Eddie Fatakhov, a Board-Certified Internist who is on the front line in the expected escalation of the novel coronavirus. Dr. Eddie joins us to put the coronavirus outbreak in perspective.
Q&A:
- Just how bad is the COVID-19 coronavirus and what makes it different from other viruses?
Answer: The most notable aspect of the COVID-19 coronavirus is that it is more contagious than SARS or MERS which are also types of coronaviruses, but it’s far less lethal. So, you’re more likely to catch it but far more likely to survive it.
- The COVID-19 outbreak has recently been upgraded by the World Health Organization to pandemic status. What is a pandemic?
Answer: According to the CDC a pandemic is global outbreak of a new disease that can spread between people sustainable because there is little to no pre-existing immunity against the new virus.
Previous pandemics include Swine Flu H1N1 2009, Avian Flu H5N1, Spanish flu of 1918 and the HIV/AIDS pandemic that since 1981 has claimed 36 million lives. Currently there are 31-35 million people living with HIV. Compare this to the global death from COVID-19 sitting at 4,613, with only 1,440 outside of china
- What can we do to protect ourselves?
Answer: Take common sense precautions that we tell our patients to prevent for the Flu. Avoid crowded places, watch your hands for at least 20 seconds, use sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap is not available. We now know that the virus can stay on surfaces for 3 days and in the air for 3 hours, the same as the Influenza virus. Avoid touching face, nose, and eyes.
- Who is most at risk?
Answer: The elderly population and those with a immunocompromised states such as patients with Diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, COPD, AIDS, patients on Biologic agents for Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s and other autoimmune disorders. Patients on chemotherapy for cancer.
- Children seem to be least at risk. Unlike the Flu, COVID-19 seems spare children. Most children will likely only have mild symptoms or be asymptomatic.
- What if I am one of the 70-150 million to contract the virus?
Answer: Do not panic as most cases are mild. Patients over 60 are at higher risk, as are patients who are immunocompromised. Let’s put things to Perspective: Today and each day in America there are 2,000 people that will die of their heart disease, and since Oct. 1, 2019, CDC estimates that there are 18,000-45,000 people who died of either Influenza A or B. According to National Institute of Drug Abuse, data shows there is a daily death toll of 128 people who die from opioid overdoses. This includes prescriptions and heroin. More than 399,000 people have died from opioid overdose from 1999 to 2017.
- Yes, but aren’t the total cases of COVID-19 increasing?
Answer: Yes, but while the numbers of COVID-19 patients will certainly increase for a while, reasonable commonsense precautions are the order of the day. Global deaths from COVID-19 stand at 4,613, with only 1,440 deaths outside of China.
- Is there any end in sight to the spread of this contagion?
Answer: Yes. Sunlight. Warm weather. Spring is around the corner, and summer after that. Typically, people are far less sick in warmer weather then they spend more time in the great outdoors.
Eddie Fatakhov, M.D is a Board-Certified Physician, Nutritionist, and Best-Selling Author of “Dr. Fat-Off Simple Life-Long Weight-Loss Solutions.”
