Coronavirus, that originated in China is now rapidly spreading to other parts of the world. And it is leading to mass anxiety and fear. The death toll is almost 3000 now with more than 82,000 confirmed cases.
However, there is some reassurance that has come our way in the form of the latest Chinese study that claims that despite being deadly, most infected cases are mild and many cases have made full recoveries.
This comes in the wake of widespread panic across the globe. According to a virology expert from the University of Hong Kong, " Many people are now panicking, and some actually are exaggerating the risks. For governments, for public health professionals — they also have to deal with these, because these will also be harmful."
According to the study which was recently published by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, out of the 44,672 coronavirus cases that were confirmed by February 11, almost 81 percent were mild cases. This is the largest study till date on coronavirus.
The study calls those cases mild that did not escalate to pnuemonia, which is basically the infection of lungs or even cases of mild pnuemonia. Apart from mild, there were two more categories - severe and critical. Critical cases were the ones who experienced respiratory failure while severe cases were those who had shortness of breath or other lung problems.
The study also stated that most mild cases recover and their symptoms are more flu-like. And these symptoms are being called self limited in mild cases. However, these cases can pose a different kind of threat. Since their symptoms appear more like common cold and flu, many people tend to overlook their condition and do not report to medical authorities, while going about their life - putting many more people at risk.
While this study provides some relief, it does not undermine the lingering global threat that the disease has spread.
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