H5N1 Flu Is Potentially 100X Deadlier Than COVID, But Do Not Panic
The Alarm
Remember COVID fatigue, how we were all sick and tired of the daily drumbeat of masks and social distancing, quarantines and medicine shortages, and refrigerated trucks used as morgues? Of course you do. But if the H5N1 influenza virus that has been found on nearly 100 cattle pastures in twelve states overcomes two barriers, the resultant pandemic has the potential to make the first year of COVID seem like a pleasant dream.
For those unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts of the influenza virus, here’s a good summary. But what’s the big deal about H5N1 influenza? COVID is not an influenza virus, but it’s a coronavirus, more like a distant cousin several times removed. America’s mortality rate for COVID was about 432 deaths per 100,000 people infected. That might not sound bad at first glance, but nearly every American got infected at one point or another. Even if we round down, 0.4% of over 330 million people is still a very high number, and does not include the hospitalizations and the 24 million still suffering from “long COVID”.
But H5N1 is a whole different animal. If COVID was a housecat, H5N1 would be a Siberian tiger. Historically speaking, H5N1 has nearly a 50% mortality rate. In other words, instead of 432 deaths out of every 100K people infected, it would be…
