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Your point about COVID, aka SARS-CoV-2 being not well known is incorrect. Zoonotic coronoviruses were a major concern, and COVID's relative, SARS-CoV-1 killed a
by throwaway5752 4y ago
Your point about COVID, aka SARS-CoV-2 being not well known is incorrect. Zoonotic coronoviruses were a major concern, and COVID's relative, SARS-CoV-1 killed almost 1,000 people and was a major health incident in 2002-2004. MERS-CoV killed another 1,000 people 10 years later. COVID came from a well known and family of viruses of high concern and still caused enormous damage.
- slowmovintarget 4y agoNot sure what you're talking about. The class of viruses SARS-CoV-2 belonged to was known, but that specific virus was "unknown" in the sense that it had never been seen outside the lab that developed it. It killed millions. You're right that H5N1 has the potential to be worse.
- lamontcg 4y agoThere's nothing about it being "known" that makes it that much better. Might make it worse since the "it is just the flu" people will literally be able to point to the fact that it is an influenza strain that was already known as for the reason why they don't need to worry about it.
- slowmovintarget 4y agoAgreed. That dismissal would be crazy. We've known about bird flu, because we've been watching it, dreading the day when it might mutate and cross over to humans.