Analysis: "That's why I'm not afraid of the corona virus - yet"

It is only a matter of time before any of the viruses that circulate among animals again mutate and begin to spread among humans all over the world, with disease and many deaths as a result.

At the same time, the monitoring of these potentially deadly viruses has never been better than at present.

Infection protection authorities around the world are following the development very closely and are collaborating and sharing information on newly discovered viruses for the World Health Organization. After the SARS epidemic in 2002, China learned that they must become more open and now appear to be fully involved in international virus cooperation. The outbreak of the new corona virus was reported after a few weeks, unlike the outbreak of SARS which darkened for months.

The images on empty streets in Wuhan city, where residents are quarantined, healthcare workers in white plastic overalls and people with mouthguards on the streets may look like taken from a disaster film but are rather a sign that China has learned how to fight disease outbreaks and what measures to take. needs to be taken.

The analyzes made by those who have so far become ill with the new corona virus indicate that mortality is relatively low, and that the virus is about as dangerous as regular seasonal influenza, which kills upwards of a thousand people each year in Sweden. The spread also seems to be low among hospital staff, which indicates that the outbreak can be manageable for health care.

An analysis of the early deaths caused by the new corona virus also indicates that many of those who have also died have had serious illnesses before.

Of course, this does not mean that the corona virus is completely harmless. It is a completely new virus, against which there is no cure yet and which no one is yet immune to in the population, which can speak to a large spread of disease. And even though most people who already have a weakened immune system have died, fully healthy people, including doctors who cared for the victims, have died.

When new viruses are detected and spread around the world, it often creates unnecessary fear. Many countries in southern Africa were severely affected by the fear of the Ebola virus around the world, even in countries that barely had any established cases when travel bans were introduced.

Both China and Canada made major economic losses due to reduced tourism in connection with the SARS epidemic. In India, the fear of a plague epidemic caused many to stop traveling there in the 1990s, even though it was only rumors that could never be confirmed.

How dangerous the new corona virus will be in the coming weeks. Can China manage to limit the outbreak, as well as the countries that are now diagnosing disease cases? In Sweden, the preparedness of health care is good according to the responsible authorities, although vaccine agreements and antiviral drugs are questioned.

I myself wait for the development before I get scared. And wash your hands carefully, which is what the health authorities recommend as protection against being infected.