Life and Death in a Wuhan Coronavirus ICU

Re:Life and Death in a Wuhan Coronavirus ICU by cycrutchfield on Friday February 07, 2020 @10:28PM (#22273614)

Saying that it's an order of magnitude less deadly than SARS doesn't exactly allay any concerns when it's still at least an order of magnitude more deadly than the flu, and probably twice as communicable. "A severe form of the cold" is the understatement of the century.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Life and Death in a Wuhan Coronavirus ICU by skmurphy on Friday February 07, 2020 @10:46PM (#22273682)

I agree, It's viral pneumonia for those over 60 and heavy smokers. China has 240M people who are 60 or older. Assuming a 2% mortality in that population and the fact that many of the younger infected have mild symptoms, 1/4 to 1/2 of these folks may be infected in the next 3-6 months. That's 1-2M fatalities.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Life and Death in a Wuhan Coronavirus ICU by torgian on Saturday February 08, 2020 @12:49AM (#22274185)

Everyone is a heavy smoker in China; air pollution levels and all that. So that stacks the odds against them already.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Life and Death in a Wuhan Coronavirus ICU by skmurphy on Saturday February 08, 2020 @12:54AM (#22274204)

Statistics I saw indicated that 2% of women smoke and 60% of men. This may account for a gender-linked differential between more serious outcomes for men, it could be a selection for smokers. I agree that the air pollution may push even non-smokers into the risk category for smokers in other countries and push smokers into a deeper level of risk.

[ Parent | on HN ]