COVID-19 cannot be treated like the flu
The Australian government launched a four-phase strategy earlier this month to get us back to something approximating normalcy. Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated that COVID-19 will eventually be treated “like the flu” under this plan.
Vaccines, it is hoped, will allow us to live with some transmission without causing serious illness or death to a large number of people. But death and hospitalization aren’t the only COVID-19 consequences to avoid. 
According to new research, even young people can develop persistent health problems as a result of infection. COVID-19 will always be a distinct disease from influenza. We should try to eradicate it like measles, rather than allowing it to spread.
This is a widespread misunderstanding. Many people believe COVID-19 exclusively affects the elderly. When you look at the numbers, it’s easy to see how that mistake developed.
Only about 1% of children and 2-3% of young adults in the United Kingdom who tested positive for the virus during the second wave had to be hospitalized, according to research. More than 10% of individuals over the age of 60, on the other hand, are required to go to the hospital. The virus-related death risk follows a similar pattern.
Only one out of every 20,000 children who become infected will die, compared to more than one out of every 100 adults over the age of 60. Many persons who have survived COVID-19 have not recovered their previous state of health.
COVID-19 has the potential to create long-term health issues-
Over an average follow-up period of four to five months, those who were hospitalized for COVID-19 during the first wave in the UK were four times more likely to be readmitted to the hospital and eight times more likely to die than a matched control group.
These persons were found to be more prone to acquire diabetes, heart disease, and kidney illness, according to the study. After getting the flu, people sometimes have complications, but we’re seeing this more frequently with COVID-19, and the complications are more significant.
One-third of participants with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 had symptoms that lasted at least two months, according to Sydney research, including exhaustion and shortness of breath. Lung function was compromised in more than 10% of the participants.
According to the Office for National Statistics in the United Kingdom, one in every seven people infected with COVID-19 will have symptoms that last at least 12 weeks. While COVID-19 is unlikely to kill children, the Office for National Statistics estimates that 7-8 per cent of infected children and adolescents will acquire long-term COVID.
They predict that in the UK, 10,000 children and 16,000 teenagers have had extended COVID for at least 12 weeks.
Effect of Covid in Australia-
This virus is not the same as influenza, and our reopening strategy should prevent it from spreading in Australia. Due to the vast number of people who are likely to be left without a job, the alternative would have enormous economic and social implications. The University of Western Australia’s Zoe Hyde is an epidemiologist who studies chronic health concerns. We can strive for a safe reopening by first achieving herd immunity.
While both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccinations are more than 90% effective in avoiding serious disease, the AstraZeneca vaccine is somewhat less successful overall in preventing infection.
We don’t know how well either vaccine prevents long-term effects of the virus, but having a high level of vaccination in the community will be the best defence.
The outbreaks will inevitably occur in Australia in the future, just as they do with measles. However, the amount of transmission we’re willing to accept should be kept to a minimum.
Coronavirus is an airborne virus that is more contagious than influenza and produces more serious illnesses. It is not and will never be a flu-like sickness.
