Characteristics of 2009 H1N1 Influenza April 15, 2009 to April 10, 2010 (CDC)
WNU editor: The best way to answer this question is to compare it to the Swine Flu pandemic of 2009 - 2010. From VeryWellHealth ....
H1N1 was first detected in April 2009 in a 10-year-old girl in California. It was declared a global pandemic in June 2009 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and was finally over in August 2010.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that swine flu infected nearly 61 million people in the United States and caused 12,469 deaths. Worldwide, up to 575,400 people died from pandemic swine flu.
Was the news coverage of the 2009 - 2010 pandemic the same as today's. Definitely not. Was it as politicized as it is today. Definitely not. In fact when you compare the White House reaction to the Swine Flu Pandemic to the current White House's reaction, the White House in 2009 only responded when 1,000 Americans were dead and millions were infected. So why the panic now?
The answer to this question is the Covid-19 Pandemic is (by the looks of it) more deadlier than Swine Flu. The 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic percentage death rate was 0.02% (see here). The Covid-19 death rate is anywhere from one to three percent. It is also highly infectious, which makes it even more troubling.
Am I panicking? No. My priority is to make sure that my immune system is as strong as it can be. If it was not for taking care of my mother (who is 93 soon to be 94), I would be living my life as I am now (with a few precautions). I also know that this crisis will pass by this summer.
On a side note. I contracted the H1N1/Swine Flu in December 2009, and was super sick for two months. On the fourth or fifth day I had actually given up the will to live, an experience that I will never want to go through again. It was only in May/June that I fully recovered. I know too well on how dangerous these type of diseases can be.
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