Coronavirus Already Likely Here in Idaho

The bad news is the virus has apparently been festering next door in Washington State since mid-January.  The good news is we may get a better picture of the mortality rate.  Assuming many of the 90,000 people of Kirkland, Washington have been exposed, and in turn, much of Seattle, we aren’t seeing a massive body count.

Meanwhile, the appearance of the virus in Snohomish County means it may well have traveled Interstate 90 across the country in a matter of days.  The highway cuts through the area and truck drivers and travelers still drive in winter.  They stop for gas and meals and overnight lodging.

Over the weekend I read where the virus can survive two hours on steel and copper.  Even longer on plastic surfaces.  About the span of a cold virus.  By some estimates, the influenza virus can linger for 3 days on a doorknob.

I’ve seen many different accounts of the death rate.  Anywhere from 1.2 percent to 3.5 percent of those infected, which isn’t the same as exposure, however.  Assuming there have been a great many infections the past six weeks and so few confirmed deaths, the rate would be very low in the United States.  Click on this link and it’s revealed the infection rate is already dropping in China.  If the virus becomes attenuated then it won’t be much of a threat.

Spring and summer may also offer a break.  And treatment in the United States is far better than what most people will see in Asia, Africa and even Europe.  So much for socialized medicine!

By the end of 2020, an estimated 35,000 Americans will be killed by influenza.  More than 15,000 people in automobile accidents.  For perspective.

Again, don’t buy the media panic.  There are likely people in Idaho who’ve been infected and already made a full recovery.