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I feel this depends on what we mean when we say "common cold." I perceive the topic as characterized by answers to the questions of: 1. How easily can I catch
by PeterHolzwarth 5y ago
I feel this depends on what we mean when we say "common cold."
I perceive the topic as characterized by answers to the questions of:
1. How easily can I catch the virus?
2. How likely am I to experience severe symptoms when infected?
3. Are there treatments that will significantly help me if I experience severe symptoms?
My readings indicate covid appears to be more infectious than influenza, but I do not know the comparison between the common cold viruses and covid on this front.
I am uncertain if covid is more or less likely to cause severe symptoms vs influenza. I believe, however, that the viruses that represent the common cold (rhinoviruses) can be definitely characterized as being much more benign in regards to symptoms.
I feel a key issue is #3 - there are few known compounds that can reliably aid in treatment of someone who is experiencing severe symptoms for covid. This is an area of rapidly expanding research now, of course.
- guscost 5y ago> I believe, however, that the viruses that represent the common cold (rhinoviruses) can be definitely characterized as being much more benign in regards to symptoms. There are at least four endemic cold-coronaviruses, plus the adenovirus family, plus a bunch more. The severity of most of these respiratory infections depend a lot on patient comorbidities, and immune history.
- timr 5y agoThe OP asked a simple question that requires no definitional equivocation. You are complicating the question unnecessarily. The question is: will the virus become endemic. The simple answer is "yes", because it is already endemic: it has multiple mammalian reservoirs, is found in every country on earth, and is ubiquitous in the human population. It is endemic. Theories about severity, treatment, etc., are completely irrelevant.
- anamexis 5y agoAnd the second half of the question is "and be one of the common colds," which is exactly what GP was responding to..
- timr 5y agoWhich is obviously a colloquialism, and has nothing to do with the meaning of the question. Will the virus become endemic and be a common illness? Yes. Focusing on the "common cold" is a way of making the question about severity, which is clearly not the intent.
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- anamexis 5y agoThat certainly is not clear to me, and in any case not reason to be dismissive and rude about a good answer.
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- timr 5y agoIt's a digression to make an ideological argument about the severity of Covid, and imply that it cannot therefore be endemic. A "severe" disease can indeed be endemic, and the "common cold" actually kills a substantial number of people every year. They're completely orthogonal concepts.
- jacobmischka 5y agoHow is it irrelevant? It seems like some of the most relevant considerations when explicitly asking about something compared to the common cold, which is exactly what they did. This was a super weird reaction to someone's detailed yet brief and thoughtful response.