SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — What makes this Coronavirus more dangerous than the flu or other similar viruses?

In President Donald Trump’s address Wednesday night, the commander-in-chief compared the current coronavirus outbreak to influenza.

“The flu in our country kills from 25,000 people to 69,000 people a year; that was shocking to me. And so far, if you look at what we have with the 15 people, and they are recovering,” Trump said.

That’s mostly true. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention provides estimates for deaths from the seasonal flu. The highest since the 2010-2011 season was 61,000 deaths.

However, these numbers don’t tell the entire picture. More people who contract Coronavirus are dying than those who get the flu.

The rate of flu deaths compared to those diagnosed is about 0.1% each year. As of Thursday, the rate for Coronavirus is 3.4%.

There are several factors to breakdown:

While this virus’ death rate is certainly not the highest, a similar but different strain of Coronavirus SARS was at 9.4%.

One issue early research is finding is that many people who have the current virus may not show symptoms, but can still spread it. That makes containing and quarantining a unique challenge.

The World Health Organization has not yet classified Coronavirus as a pandemic, but experts say it is on track to possibly become one. KELOLAND News compared to the current cases to other pandemics.

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Your Guide To
Coronavirus

KELOLAND News is covering the COVID-19 pandemic. This is your guide to everything you need to know to prepare. We also have the latest stories from across the globe feeding into this page.

Read the guide

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