Coronavirus In The US: The Truth From A Medical Expert

In 2017, Michael Osterholm released a book titled Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs. In this book, he talked about a virus pandemic with its origin in China. He has been providing information about such viruses and in recent times, his predictions have been witnessed across the globe.

Michael Osterholm, a public health scientist and expert in infectious disease, spoke on The Joe Rogan Experience about the coronavirus, dubbed COVID-19, it's origin, how to prevent it, and the preparedness of the US. The Center for Infectious Disease Research Policy (CIDRAP) director referred to himself as a “medical detective” and tackled all the myths and truths surrounding the developing coronavirus outbreak.

It’s Just The Beginning

According to Osterholm Ph.D, M.P.H, who has worked on many virus-related cases for decades, the virus is in its initial stages and determining the pain, hurt and fatalities it has caused is still not precise. "In terms of the hurt, pain, suffering, death that has happened so far is really just the beginning. This is going to unfold for months to come. We’re gonna be in some hurt for the next few months." warned Osterholm.

The virus transmits as easily as the influenza virus. Most people tend to compare COVID-19 with the flu which kills thousands every year. However, Osterholm says that the coronavirus could be 10-15 worse than the flu in terms of fatalities. Speaking about what the projections and estimates look like, he said, “This could require 48 million hospitalizations, 96 million infection cases, and over 480,000 deaths, that can occur in the next 3 to 7 months in this situation.” He added that this should not be taken lightly.

A few weeks ago, America was watching as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in China and parts of Europe. Today, the US is vigilant in testing for the virus and is on high alert with major events canceled including the suspension of NBA and NHL. Italy has made headlines with the increasing infection cases and fatalities that have lead to a virtual shutdown. Hospitals are working around the clock to try and curb the spread of the virus with medical practitioners carrying the burden and are not being screened because their expertise is needed to take care of the situation as long as they are not severely ill.

Is Coronavirus An Old People Infection?

There has been a rumor that the coronavirus is an old people disease. Well, statistics show that there have been a significant number of old people fatalities in Wuhan, China. One of the risk factors of dying from the virus is being old. However, Osterholm, a Regents Professor, said that other underlying conditions increased the risk. For instance, a good number of old people who