Throughout your life you have probably had dozens of influenza infections, and innumerable colds. From these experiences you pretty well know what to do to get through the illnesses they produce.
However this new cold virus, the COVID-19, has characteristics that you have not experienced. You are not alone. The authorities around the world are in the same boat—and they will err on the side of extreme caution for the general public’s safety.
So how does influenza and coronavirus compare, and which one presents more of a problem? Influenza can kill, but your normal coronavirus is not a ‘deadly pathogen’—it is one of about 200 types of viruses that cause the common cold. However, this current coronavirus, transmitted from an animal host, is certainly a potentially deadly pathogen.
So far, the new coronavirus has led to more than 220,000 illnesses and more than 9,300 deaths worldwide. However that is nothing compared with the present flu season. Consider this Winter flu season, currently in the USA. It has caused an estimated 36 million illnesses, 370,000 hospitalisations and 22,000 deaths, so far—according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Scientists have decades of data on seasonal influenza and cold viruses, and comprehensively understand their characteristics. In contrast, very little is known about the new coronavirus, or the potential disease risk it can cause.
This means COVID-19 is something of a wild card, in terms of how far it will spread, and how many deaths it will cause—and because of the ‘unknowns’, the government authorities are taking extreme measures just in case. Unfortunately these social changes are likely to permanently change sociocultures throughout the world—but we will see where we end up in 12 to 18 months.
Let us examine two of the variables that authorities are using to make these decisions—the ‘Spread Rate’ of the coronavirus, and the ‘Mortality Rate’.
Spread Rate
This is a measure scientists are using to determine how easily a virus can spread. It is known as the “basic reproduction number,” or R0. This is an estimate of the average number of people who catch the virus from a single infected person.
Spread Rate for Influenza (R0)
The 1918 pandemic estimated at: 1.80.
The 1957 pandemic estimated at: 1.65.
The 1968 pandemic estimated at: 1.80.
The 2009 pandemic estimated at: 1.46.
Normal yearly influenza estimated at: 1.28
Spread Rate for Coronaviruses (R0)
The normal coronavirus is estimated at 1.5
The SARS-CoV (2003) estimated between 2 to 4
The MERS-CoV (2012 -present) estimated at 1.
The COVID-19 (December 2019) estimated between 2 and 3.
The current coronavirus spreads easier and quicker than all types of influenza, but less than the 2003 SARS pandemic.
Deaths due to Influenza
The 1918 pandemic estimated 17,000,000 to ?
The 1957 pandemic estimated up to 2,000,000
The 1968 pandemic estimated up to 1,000,000.
The 2009 pandemic estimated between 284,500 and 579,000
The seasonal flu is typically about 500,000 worldwide.
Deaths due to Coronavirus
The normal coronaviruses don’t normally kill
The SARS-CoV (2003) was 744
MERS-CoV (2012 -present) is 2,494
The COVID-19 so far 9,300 (but the long-term number is not yet predictable).
Thus influenza kills more people annually than the pandemic coronaviruses have achieved—still there is always the potential that this coronavirus could outstrip these, but there is no actual evidence of this yet.
In summary, COVID-19 is a virus with only potential for a high mortality rate (for teenagers and adults—the older you are, the more vulnerable you are). However it is very easily spread throughout high density populations. So your chances of being infected with this virus are very high over the next 12 months. And it has the potential to be as lethal as the influenza pandemics of the past, but only time will tell—and sensible precautions must be taken.
Common sense must prevail in this pandemic, long with following government advice
Based on the potentially high Spread Rate, the authorities advise the following (so the hospital facilities can cope):
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Sneeze and cough into a tissue or your elbow.
• Avoid crowds and standing near others.
• Stay home if you think you might be sick.
• Work from home, if you can.
• When in doubt consult with your doctor.
While many of the public will depend totally on the doctors and medical system, there are some who would like to take more control of their health. If this is you, then you can learn and apply many traditional lifestyle, self-therapy and natural medicines, that you can use to strengthen your immune system—and never be overwhelmed by a virus such as COVID-19.
Things you could consider doing for yourself, right now
• Every day use the physical techniques you have learnt to keep your sinuses clear and warm, in order to restrict coronavirus establishing a population that could threaten your innate immune defences.
• Twice daily use corrective exercises, to remove fascia constrictions that can limit autonomic nerve modulation to the sinus, ears, mouth, throat and lungs (both sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve functions).
• Daily use the techniques that effectively work for you to reduce emotional stress—so that you can optimise autonomic nerve modulation and assist optimal immune function.
• You could consider using hospital brandy—less than 10 ml in a glass of water with a little apple cider vinegar; (no more than 4 times a day)—to change brain chemistry and help you relax—to more easily cope with stress. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3117141/)
• This would be a good time to give up smoking
• Daily realign all joints in your body, to facilitate optimal nerve function and thus improve immune/organ function.
• A few times a day, apply the specific breathing techniques that balance oxygen/carbon dioxide in the brain—to reduce stress and feel energised.
• When needed, apply the breathing/movement techniques to quickly clear the sinuses, and allow increased blood/lymph circulation.
• Daily take steps to optimise your colon function, in order to support optimal sinus function (Chinese medicine techniques).
• Aim for one bowel movement a day, or three bowel movements a week (with normal stool), to reflect normal colon function.
• Learn how to promote deep sleeping without interruption during the night, and apply these techniques at least five times a week.
• Learn how to control the cycles of the Epstein-Barr virus (glandular fever virus), and other herpes viruses—that disrupt immune system surveillance and competency in dealing with influenza and coronaviruses.
• Take a sauna when you think you have contracted a cold virus, or the present coronavirus—to effectively destroy its population growth. Two or three saunas over 15 hours will be needed to eliminate the population.
• Sleep when you feel tired, and if you are employed in shift work, make efforts to change this.
• Reduce breathing-in polluted air (smoking and industry/car exhaust gasses).
• Keep away from air-conditioning that creates too much change from outside temperatures—your body will react negatively to temperature inversions (hot to cold), which allow the coronavirus to establish more easily.
• Don’t sleep with your bedroom windows wide open (in case there is an temperature inversion during the night that catches you without adequate covering).
• Keep optimal flora in your mouth, throat and sinus—floss after meals; use 3% hydrogen peroxide; use toothpaste without any sugars. This reduces the chances that the coronavirus can even establish.
• Shift your diet to reduce immune acclimatisation responses and lift general immune function.
• Remove ALL grains from your diet (this is the one best way to strengthen your immune system against viruses). See: www.deeks.com.au
• Practice any of the forms of intermittent fasting that you know—do this at least two times a week.
• Spend time in the sun—look at the sunrise for a few minutes each day, if possible.
• Drink filtered water, and stop drinking milk (this is mucous forming in most older people).
• Take time to determine the foods that cause allergy responses and eliminate them in your diet (particularly those that cause mucous, or histamine responses in the mouth, sinus and throat).
• Reduce the amount of free sugars you are eating.
If you don’t know some of these, or you want to brush-up on these techniques, register to attend a four hour workshop I will be giving next Saturday (28th March).
Contact Despina on 0424 228 578, to reserve your spot.
Bill Giles
Clinical immunobiologist