Why Coronavirus is different than Seasonal Flu

Since very few of us are epidemiologists, I thought that this was a good explanation of the situation we find ourselves in lately.

Just in case you aren’t taking this seriously yet...

A little science lesson for those of you, still believing this is government propaganda or a hoax. From Brianna Booth, PhD

“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 AF. 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.

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. Any questions?

#flattenthecurve. Stay home and share this to those that just are not catching on.”d

Thank you for the info.

Viruses prefer to live long and prosper. A mutation can also be caused by it learning not kill off the host quickly, so it can survive. Some are postulating that is behind why it mainly kills off people with underlying conditions and seems to be why it remains as mild to no discernible symptoms in so many. Little rat-bastard bug that it is. I hate it.

WYID is so right on this.They cannot produce their own energy or replicate without the host cell.Because of this generally over time they will somewhat down-regulate and not be quite so virulent.This one is bad because it is new so no herd immunity yet.This will come in time and together with a vaccine we will be ok.It will take some time though.

...#flattenthecurve. Stay home and share this to those that just are not catching on.”d Originally Posted by ilikespinners

Agree on 'bout everything except maybe that last line. I've not done the math fully. But my thumbnail view of that option is that about the same impacts occur, just over a longer period of time. In other words, the area under both curves is about the same. I know the thinking is that we get lucky enough to develop a cure and maybe then can reduce the duration and thus the area of impact. Then we develop a vaccine afterwards, i.e. for the future.



Now, it's a long shot worth taking no doubt. As I've said before, we are a resilient and resourceful bunch - but only when we all row in the same frick'n direction. Padding an emergency spending bill with all manner of wet dreams, i.e. pork barrel spending and gimmies for the donor class, is not rowing in the same direction.

It's also different in that the flu has a .5 mortality rate compared to the Corona's 2% mortality rate (4x higher).

There are more flu deaths only because there are thousands of flu cases while the corona is just getting started.

If the common flu tends to hit you hard then imagine it hitting you at least 4x harder which means you'll not likely survive it.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or stock advisor, nor do I play one on the internets

Been poking around the internets for info on Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate. This is somewhat raw and I'm not 100% on the data, but wanted to share what I encountered so far.

WATSON 698 200 (Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate 200 mg)

Pill with imprint WATSON 698 200 is White, Elliptical / Oval and has been identified as Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate 200 mg. It is supplied by Actavis Pharma, Inc..
Hydroxychloroquine is used in the treatment of lyme disease, arthritis; dermatomyositis; malaria; malaria prevention; rheumatoid arthritis and belongs to the drug classes antimalarial quinolines, antirheumatics. FDA has not classified the drug for risk during pregnancy. Hydroxychloroquine 200 mg is not a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

So why Watson? Seems they may have created it and due to merger upon merger, it is now owned by Teva Pharmaceuticals, an Israel based conglomerate. See below





Team it up with the antibiotic Azithromycin, via Zpack perhaps. My simplistic understanding is the antibiotic treats secondary issues, not the cause of the primary issue. The Hydroxychloroquine is reported to go after the primary bug. It has been in use for a long time, meaning, we already know a lot about it. It is not unknown in regards to what are safe dosages and it is known what are unsafe dosages. Most testing you hear about in NY, Florida, France and elsewhere involve these combined drugs, along with a third in some cases. IMHO, this is what Trump is optimistic about.

I mentioned this in another posting about Dr Fauci and an HIV link here:

He seems straight up, but I'm dubious of him personally, after reading his love letters to Hillary.. They came out in the FOI basket via Judicial Watch of the long lost emails that the FBI released recently. Either way, he seems a net add to the team overall - so far.

What is interesting behind those love letters is that at the time he was working on HIV and one of the meds he was purported to be looking at was Hydroxychloroquine, which is in the news again. There has been some discussion around an HIV like component to the Chinese virus. So I'll go with a cautionary wait and see on him for now and count the silverware each night. Originally Posted by Why_Yes_I_Do

This next image is uncertain because the drug seems to have gone generic. I'm not sure this label is accurate, but it's the only one I found that says Watson and matches to the drug descriptor above.





If the above picture is accurate, queue up Morpheous: You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

ilike, you appear to have a bit of knowledge in this field. Do you mind if I ask your profession.

And thank you for the information and your input.

ilike, you appear to have a bit of knowledge in this field. Do you mind if I ask your profession.

And thank you for the information and your input. Originally Posted by ATF Hobby

Nope, just a schmoe with decades of computer&human interaction/interrelation and productivity/solutions sort of stuff. Pretty boring in most regards, though it tends to pay well. I do like long walks on the beach, data crunching, trending analysis and tracking down seemingly unrelated data to meld together. Generally, I am intrigued to delve into the unclear and ambiguous world of information flowing through the universe of people, from widely divergent sources, looking for a glimpse of where the future is headed for fun and sometimes profit. In my spare time, I enjoy being an unbearable A-hole to fools and ID10Ts.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or stock advisor, nor do I play one on the internets. Just a schmoe, as stated previously.

However, DO NOT run out and start gobbling down meds, based on schtuff you read on the internets - you could die. More on why in a bit.

Regarding the cocktail of : Hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin and Zinc. There is a doctor named Dr. Vladimir Zelenko who claims great results. He seems to be an odd duck IMHO, based upon ye olde 3 strikes rule: Lives in Northern NJ, Russian Jewish heritage who practices medicine in NY plus he's a dead ringer for Randy Quaid. However, others are finding similar positive results as well, around the globe, but have not completed any years long clinical trials yet.

A similar mix is also under investigation in many other circles (countries) and this comb has been known about since at least the 2002/2005 time frame. Plus there are other combos being investigated which claim some good results like leronlima. Point being, it ain't entirely Voo-Doo.While I agree with Dr Fauci's observation that there are not actual clinical trials completed to validate it, the idea that they are simply 'anecdotal' seems to miss the mark. Akin to: Hey Doctor, your hair is on fire, dump this bucket of water on your head. No, I'll wait for a years long clinical trial instead of your 'anecdotal' water theory.

NY Gov Cumo (potential DNC Pres. nominee?) the other day:
We have secured 70,000 hydrocloroquin; 10,000 zithromax from the federal government. I want to thank the FDA for moving very expeditiously to get us this supply.
The President ordered the FDA to move and the FDA moved. We’re going to get the supply and the trial will start this Tuesday. The President is optimistic about these drugs and we are all optimistic that it could work.

Comared to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (potential DNC Pres. nominee?):
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs literally threatened all doctors and pharmacists in the state who prescribe or dispense hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.

So what is the big risk anyway? Well, there is death.Anecdotally (yet supported by emerging CDC data), a lot of deaths are occurring in older people with underlying conditions - including high blood pressure, which includes people on meds for it. Short story is the cocktail strengthens a cell wall (chemical) and may be the same cell wall that they diddle with to treat high blood pressure. Considering this is also a disease which seems to manifest in a gruesome pneumonia, consider interactions with bronchial related things like Asthma. Bad news!

Point being, ask your frick'n Doctor first. These potential treatments, aka 'cures?', could kill you just about as fast as the disease. While social distancing rules recommend against hugging your doctor, there are no rules against talking to them, from at least 6 feet away perhaps.

About the Author: Just a regular schmoe that happens to have old people, people with treated high blood pressure and people with Asthma in their close circle and happens to like them.