Coronavirus: 'One Billion' Could Become Infected Worldwide- Report

[appalachiablue]

Source: BBC News

One billion people could become infected with the coronavirus worldwide unless vulnerable countries are given urgent help, an aid group has warned. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said financial and humanitarian aid were needed to help slow the global spread of the virus.

It said "fragile countries" such as Afghanistan and Syria needed "urgent funding" to avoid a major outbreak. "There remains a small window of time to mount a robust response," it warned.

There have been more than 3m confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide with more than 200,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US.

The IRC's report, which is based on models and data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Imperial College London, estimated there could be between 500m and 1bn infections globally. It also said there could be more than 3m deaths across dozens of conflict-affected and unstable countries...


Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52453640

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According to David Miliband, head of the IRC, "These numbers should serve as a wake-up call." "The full, devastating and disproportionate weight of this pandemic has yet to be felt in the world's most fragile and war-torn countries," he added. "The key now is for donors to urgently put flexible funding behind frontline efforts.

"Governments must work together to remove any impediment to humanitarian assistance," Miliband added.

The IRC, a US-based group which responds to humanitarian crises around the world, said factors such as household size, population density, healthcare capacity and pre-existing conflicts could all increase the risk of major outbreaks developing.

Many countries in the developing world have low official infection rates or death tolls - but the actual numbers are believed to be much higher. One expert said the organisation believed people there were already dying from Covid 19 - just not in hospitals.

"We are convinced that there is local transmission ongoing but the capacity of testing is very, very low," she told the BBC.

[IronLionZion]

1. We'll have no idea how many asymptomatic people are out there

there just isn't enough tests, nor would people want to get tested without showing symptoms.

It's looking pretty bleak for us. As long as Trump's supporters blame foreigners instead of slow action to issue social distance orders, it's never going to stop spreading.

[totodeinhere]

3. I for one would want to get tested, symptoms or not. I don't know about anyone else. n/t

[oldsoftie]

6. Me too. My brother, OTH, says no. And he's more liberal than I am.

He says he doesnt trust the govt having his "genetic material"
Another reason he'll never do those DNA tests; too much personal info in someone elses hands.

[IronLionZion]

9. Me too, for peace of mind

I have a lot of anxiety issues over dying of a heart attack or stroke or something like that

[totodeinhere]

2. How are we ever going to help those vulnerable countries when we can't even seem to help ourselves?

n/t

[Botany]

4. I hope I am wrong but one of the organs that C-19 attacks is the intestines and that causes ....

.... diarrhea and in third world countries without sanitary sewer systems or where people
work in rice paddies "the beast" could spread like wide fire.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Which makes it almost hemorrhagic internally

sort of like the Black Death.

I gotta say, they've been breaking the news to the world slowly. Anyone who projected early on - Feb 2 - based on the early infection rates and serious case rates, and death rates came up with very big numbers, and it now seems we'll thankfully fall short of those figures but maybe by only 1/3. Yes billions could be infected, yes, tens or hundreds of millions could die worldwide.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. Diarrhea is not a common symptom, fortunately.

[Botany]

10. Diarrhea in 20% of the cases ... if you believe "stuff from the internet."

https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/The-insidious-coronavirus-can-invade-heart-lungs-15230192.php

[dalton99a]

7. Kick

[Coventina]

11. Eventually, it will infect virtually everybody.

Just like the 1918 flu. Although, I hope we are going through the process more slowly, so that more people can be treated and saved.

But, eventually, everyone will be exposed, and those who are susceptible, will get sick. At that point, it will subside, just as the 1918 flu did. Biology does what it does. We can mitigate, but we can't stop it.

[tclambert]

12. 1 billion infected, with 3% mortality rate 30 million deaths