Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1235208
20 ascp skin deep COVID-19 special issue 2020 As different countries are taking vastly different approaches to testing, we do not currently know the true number of infected people (cases) and therefore cannot accurately calculate the true fatality ratio. This ongoing report from CMMID Repository (caution advised: it is not yet peer reviewed) provides some interesting concerns regarding the reporting methods and mathematical models used to estimate the numbers we all hear in news reports, and demonstrates the degree of uncertainty currently surrounding the issue. 10 What we know beyond any doubt is that whatever the true case-fatality ratio (number of people who die out of all those infected), more people need critical care simultaneously than our health systems can handle, and that in and of itself will lead to more deaths. This is the true source of the crisis regardless of whether or not it turns out to be more or less lethal than influenza once the current crisis has died down. TRUE OR FALSE? Only old people die of COVID-19, so young and healthy people don't need to worry This is the second major misconception that has contributed to the rapid spread of this virus, leading to difficult conversations that weigh economic factors against the cost of human life. The truth is we don't yet know precisely who is at most risk, beyond obviously vulnerable elders with multiple underlying conditions. Since COVID-19 reached Europe and the US, there have been reports of younger, healthy people dying and skewing the numbers somewhat, and these figures are also affected by the degree of testing being conducted. Recent demographical information from the Johns Hopkins Information Center suggests early data from the US sees more young adults hospitalized (20–44 age range; 20 percent of hospitalizations; 12 percent of intensive care unit [ICU] admissions). Germany is another outlier with a median patient age of 47 years, and a very low death rate (0.4 percent, lower than that of the common flu). 12 Germany has taken a different approach to testing and hospitalization compared to other countries, reflecting its advanced health-care infrastructure, which plays an important part in the overall outcome. When it comes to public health policy, the overall capabilities of any health service and its accessibility and capacity are key factors in calculating the virulence or mortality rate of a given pathogen. Overcrowding, a lack of ICU capacity, and overstretched medical staff drive up the mortality rate just as much as the effects of the virus itself. It may yet be that more people die because of late—or no—access to health care, and this is something that is still undecided. Given the reality in different countries around the world, this is an area that will need considerable reexamination once the current crisis is over. For the time being, it is clear that common sense must be adhered to; elderly people and all those with chronic conditions are more vulnerable to pathogens in general. TRUE OR FALSE? We just need to boost our immune systems by taking lots of vitamin C and other supplements, and/or use essential oils/crystals/herbal remedies and our body will fight off the virus This may be an opportunity to debunk one of the most widespread misconceptions about our health: it is not possible to "boost" the immune system in the sense of guzzling oranges and vitamin supplements or using external applications of oils or anything else to increase the number of microscopic "soldiers" in our bloodstream in an otherwise healthy human. Hot water, hairdryers, and mammoth doses of vitamins are not going to kill the virus either. 13