Quote:
Originally Posted by tarcone
If this is true, then is it possible that has mutated and become stronger. Like maybe Covid 18 rolled through and a bunch got it and now its mutated to 19.
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Usually, the weaker strain travels quicker because people that don't feel as sick tend to do more. If I were to guess (and like spleen said I'm a guy on a football message board), I would think you could have had a weaker strain earlier that traveled quick. Then, it either mutated or the stronger strain eventually made it here from Europe/China. That would *seem* to fit the information we have.
All that said, we really don't know how many strains there are out there, the mortality rate for each and the full extent of the impact of this virus. I do think we will see a lower than 1% mortality rate once everything comes out down the road. But, we do know that this virus is pretty nasty and can send people in their 30s/40s to the hospital (let alone the older population). So, even if the mortality rate is 0.5%, the load on our health care system is a major concern. The best we can do is social distance until things start trending in the right direction.
On a sep note, has anyone heard more about doctors re-purposing the normal flu swabs to test for this? It seemed like someone was doing there here in AZ and then nothing more was said. If that works, it seems like a quick way for everyone to start testing more. You could have health care providers/companies setup "pick up" spots or even mail the swab to people on their plan. The family uses the swab and then drops it off in a secured manner to a private lab.