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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 donât understand...
It has to do with RNA sequencing.... I.e. genetics.
Seasonal flu is an âall human virusâ. 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 can 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 itâs a problem, Why? Because we have no natural or
acquired immunity.. the RNA sequencing of the genes inside the virus
isnât human, and the human immune system doesnât recognize it so, we
canât fight it off.
Now.... sometimes, the mutation only allows transfer from animal to
human, for years itâs 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 itâs gonna be..
H1N1 was deadly....but it did not mutate in a way that was as deadly
as the Spanish flu. Itâs 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, âslipperyâ
This Coronavirus, not being in any form a âhumanâ 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..
Thatâs why Coronavirus is different from seasonal flu, or H1N1 or any
other type of influenza.... this one is slippery AF. And itâs a
lung eater...And, itâs 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.
We really have no tools in our shed, with this. History has shown
that fast and immediate closings of public places has helped in the
past pandemics. Philadelphia and Baltimore were reluctant to close
events in 1918 and they were the hardest hit in the US during the
Spanish Flu.
Factoid: Henry VIII stayed in his room and allowed no one near him,
till the Sweating Sickness that plagued his time had
passed...(honestly...I understand him so much better now). Just like
us, he had no tools in his shed, except social isolation...
And let me end by saying....right now itâs 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... acting like youâre unafraid is so not sexy right
now.
#flattenthecurve. Stay home folks... and share this to those that just are not catching on. đ€