In a now-deleted tweet, Heart Radio host Amanda Holden suggested that the coronavirus may not be as bad as media is making it out to be.
“The current mortality rate for the Corona virus is 2% which is roughly equivalent to a common flu virus,” Holden wrote. “The 24 hr incessant mainstream media has to answer for creating such hysteria. Wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your nose eyes and ears.”
Holden’s oversimplification of the coronavirus’ mortality rate drew ire from immunocompromised people on Twitter. To be clear, when someone is immunocompromised, their immune system is impaired and cannot fight infection as effectively.
She also got her numbers wrong. The mortality rate for the H1N1 virus, or flu, is closer to 0.1%, which is over 100 times less than the 2.3% rate of coronavirus.
“Ok,” Twitter user @koozers wrote. “I’d like to retract my agreement with what Amanda Holden said about the Coronavirus. After getting my facts right, I now real(ise) it’s 20 times worse than the normal flu and she is talking bollocks.”
In diseases such as the COVID-19, which is caused by the coronavirus, the mortality rate is often made up of the elderly, children, and the immunocompromised. Many immunocompromized people have used their Twitter accounts to share why it is important to prevent the spread of diseases. They said public health crises could endanger their lives.
“Dear 98%,” Twitter user @inouifemme wrote. “I am immunocompromised. Please wash your hands & cough into your elbows & stay home if you’re sick. Thank you. Kindest regards, 2%.”
The cost of healthcare is also a sticking point for some who are immunocompromised.
“I’m immunocompromised and every time I go some place I just think, ‘well, because of how expensive medical care is in the U.S., some people won’t get diagnosed or treated and I’m probably just going to get [the disease],'” Twitter user @curewiki wrote.
According to the CDC, the most effective way to stay the spread of COVID-19 is to wash your hands, stay home when you’re sick, and cover your mouth when you cough.
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H/T: Express