Coronavirus is most deadly if you are older and male – new data reveal the risks

Re:Coronavirus is most deadly if you are older and male – ne... by snowwrestler on Friday August 28, 2020 @03:45PM (#24309140)

It is not politicizing to point out that these are different viruses that cause different diseases.

Quite a lot of people do not understand the extent of the differences, in part because of repeated comparisons to the flu from earlier in the pandemic--comparisons which we now know were based on incomplete early impressions of the new disease.

Yes there is significant overlap in symptoms--hence the early comparisons. There are also significant differences.

Are these differences enough to produce complications worse than the flu? There's not enough evidence yet to know. I'm not saying "we're sure COVID-19 will have worse complications than the flu." I'm saying we don't know either way, so it's irresponsible to cite flu studies to imply we're sure there won't be worse complications than the flu.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Coronavirus is most deadly if you are older and male – ne... by ryandrake on Friday August 28, 2020 @04:31PM (#24309604)

Plus, when you bring up any kind of comparison with the flu, no matter how nuanced you try to be, the general public just ignores all the nuance. Using the word "flu" anywhere near a COVID-19 discussion reinforces the "See, it's just the flu, bro" mentality that convinced vast swaths of people to downplay the disease.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Coronavirus is most deadly if you are older and male – ne... by dr_dshiv on Friday August 28, 2020 @04:59PM (#24309876)

Worth mentioning that Hackernews isn't the general public. Don't need to worry about the moral hazard of nuance here.

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