Strategic COVID-19 Pandemic Committee

Why is this virus so hard to control? Why do we need public health restrictions?

COVID-19 Questions & Myths

Asymptomatic Spread
Unlike influenza, or SARS in 2004, the virus reaches high levels in the nose, throat and airways early in infection, and can be spread before people realize they may be getting sick (British Medical Journal).  People with COVID-19 can spread infection on average from two days before symptoms start through 10 days after and some get few or no symptoms, It spreads quickly to contacts causing a relatively large number of people who are severely ill.

We also have variant strains of COVID-19 now in Alberta which means the virus spreads more easily and may be more deadly than what we have seen so far. 

As a lot of spread happens in the first five days of even mild symptoms, isolating yourself right away and getting tested for COVID-19 is very important.

Death Rate of Original Virus
COVID-19 is estimated to be 10 times more deadly than influenza with an estimated mortality rate of 1%. While the average age of mortality from COVID-19 in Alberta is 82 (Range 20 to 107 years), but the average age of hospitalization with an ICU stay is 59 (Range 0-89 years).

We have yet to better understand the new variants immerging but there is early evidence of spreading faster from person to person, and more infections can result in more people getting very sick or dying.

Reference:
i. Virology, transmission, and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, British Medical Journal
ii. New Variants of Coronavirus: What You Should Know, Johns Hopkins Medicine