Coronavirus: how big, how bad, and what to look out for
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Shabir Madhi, University of the Witwatersrand
Cases of illness from the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) disease, known as COVID-19, have been confirmed in more than 100 countries. The outbreak was first recorded in China in December last year. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses that can range from a common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The Conversation Africa’s Ina Skosana spoke to Shabir Madhi about the situation.
What percentage of people who get the virus are dying from it? Is this high compared with other infectious diseases?
There’s no straightforward answer to this question because the epidemic is still at an early stage. It all depends on what the denominator is, which influences the case fatality risk. And we’re still working with unknowns.
The current estimate is that between 1% and 3% of people diagnosed with COVID-19 die. The problem with this estimate is th...
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