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ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION AUGUST 5, 2020 Page 20 Questions of the Week Why has the world stopped over COVID-19? It's just like the flu. Most people who get it survive. I really don't understand what the big deal is and why we can't just go back to normal. Here are facts about COVID-19 that may help you better understand why containing the virus is so important on both a health and an economic basis. These are US numbers. On a global scale, the difference between the influenza and COVID-19 is even more dramatic. Influenza COVID-19 Rate of hospitalization 67.3 per 100,000 1.33% of cases 130.1 per 100,000 10.64% of cases Length of hospitalization 3.6 days 10–13 days for survivors 21 days for those who die Rate of death 2.0 per 100,000 0.11% of cases 42.83 per 100,000 3.59% of cases Survival rate 99.4%–99.89% 96.4%–96.7% Time to recover/return to normal life and activities Uncomplicated flu symptoms typically resolve after 3–7 days, although cough and malaise can persist for >2 weeks. Mild/moderate cases without hospitalization average 2–3 weeks to feel better; 35% of these cases are still not back to work or feeling normal after 3 weeks. More severe cases can take 6 weeks to feel better and months to get back to normal. Rate of long-term effects for those who survive the virus Complications of flu can include bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections and worsening of existing chronic medical conditions. Incidence data are not available. Of those who contract COVID-19: • 18% will have permanent heart damage • 10% will have permanent lung damage • 4% will have permanent neurological damage • 3% will have strokes Cost $10.4 billion in annual direct healthcare costs and an additional $17.6 billion in lost productivity annually Costs for individuals and businesses are unknowable at this time. Estimates currently include $547 billion in health insurance payouts through 2022 alone, and a nearly $9 trillion negative impact on the US GDP through 2030. If this data doesn't impress you, consider this: influenza can often be prevented with a vaccine. People who don't want to get the flu can do something to avoid it. And because so many people generally get the flu vaccine—around 62.6 percent of children, 68.1 percent of adults over 65—it doesn't spread as fast or kill as many vulnerable people. With COVID-19, the only way a vulnerable person can completely avoid getting infected is to never leave their house and never let anyone in until a vaccine is available. Another big difference is that treatments like Tamiflu make the severity of the flu symptoms more bearable for most people. There aren't any COVID-specific treatments for managing the symptoms effectively yet. And since so few flu-related hospitalizations occur, there's never a danger of running out of rooms or equipment if you get a really bad case of the flu. As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, that is a very real possibility in many areas. Continued on page 21