Flu season vs. COVID-19: Which one has been worse on the Grand Strand?
Skeptics have long compared the seasonal flu to the coronavirus, suggesting both are interchangeable, but COVID-19 is far more severe and fatal, data and health experts assert.
Since COVID-19 spread to the United States back in January, some political leaders have argued that being diagnosed and treated for the novel coronavirus is similar, if not exactly the same as the influenza virus, with both diseases sharing symptoms such as fever, fatigue and coughing.
However, while the flu can have a great impact on the immune system, COVID-19 is a virus that is more likely to lead to severe illness or death, health officials warn. At this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19.
“On the surface, the coronavirus is 20 times more fatal than the standard influenza virus,” said Dr. Gerald Harmon, Vice President of medical affairs at Tidelands Health. “It’s more dangerous when it enters your system and a little bit easier to catch than the standard influenza.”
Since Jan. 24 when the first case was reported in the United States, there have been over 1.9 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 109,901 deaths reported nationally, as of June 8, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention.
During the most recent flu season — between Oct. 1, 2019 and Apr. 4 — public health officials estimate there have been upwards of 56 million confirmed flu cases and up to 62,000 deaths, the CDC reports.
Flu vs. coronavirus
Along the Grand Strand, 100 lab-confirmed cases of influenza have been reported in Horry County since Sept. 29, 2019, with about 26 cases reported in Georgetown County, according to S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
DHEC reported less than five influenza-associated deaths within each county.
Since Horry County recorded its first coronavirus case on March 15, it has accounted for 618 confirmed cases and 31 deaths, as of June 8, according to data released daily from DHEC. Georgetown County has reported 85 cases and three deaths.
DHEC estimates there’s a total of 4,414 possible cases in Horry County that have gone unreported or diagnosed. In Georgetown County that number is 607, according to DHEC.
On a statewide basis, there were 6,711 confirmed flu cases, which includes 131 influenza-associated deaths, according to a report released on June 3 by the state health agency. There have been 14,286 COVID-19 cases reported in South Carolina and 546 deaths, as of June 8.
The flu
The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms may include a sudden onset of fever, cough, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, sore throat and nasal congestion. It can also lead to hospitalization or death.
“It’s almost like a bad cold,” Harmon said. “You don’t get influenza and then go into septic shock or have a heart problem. The standard death for influenza is from pneumonia.”
According to the CDC, most experts believe that flu viruses spread mainly by tiny droplets made when those who are contagious cough, sneeze or talk, resulting in those droplets landing in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby. Less often, a person can contract the flu by touching a surface or object that has the flu virus on it and then touching themselves.
Studies suggest that on average, about 8 percent of the U.S. population gets sick from the flu each season, with a range between 3 to 11 percent, depending on the season, the CDC states.
Both DHEC and the CDC recommend getting a yearly flu vaccine as an important step to fighting off the influenza virus. While it’s important for everyone over six months old to get vaccinated, both agencies stress that young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions and seniors over 65 are at high risk of serious flu complications.
Flu vaccines are available at doctor’s offices, clinic and pharmacies throughout the region.
Other precautionary measures include, avoiding close contact with sick people, touching your eyes, nose and mouth, washing your hands with soap and water, disinfecting surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs, and covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
Furthermore, those sick with flu-like illness, should limit contact with other people and home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, except to get medical care or for other necessities.
COVID-19
COVID-19, also known medically as SARS-Cov-2, is a severe acute respiratory syndrome.
Symptoms may include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breath, fatigue, muscle aches, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, nausea or diarrhea. Most who are infected will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment, while those with underlying health conditions can be impacted more severely.
Symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus.
Harmon said that while the standard influenza is essentially a stronger version of the common cold that ultimately weakens the immune system and could result in a secondary infection like pneumonia, the bacteria found in the coronavirus attacks the organs directly and can sometimes lead to respiratory problems, kidney failure, heart inflammation or death.
“It’s a much more invasive disease,” Harmon said. “It’s more dangerous when it enters your immune system. It targets the lungs, the respiratory system, the cardiovascular organs and it’s more contagious than the standard influenza. We’re learning new things every day.”
While DHEC reports an 83 percent recovery rate among patients, a study conducted by the CDC found the case fatality rate among patients with critical disease was 49 percent.
The coronavirus can spread through respiratory droplets released into the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, resulting in those droplets landing in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby, the CDC reports. The droplets can stay aloft within about six feet of the person, which is why social distancing is considered an effective model in averting the viruses spread.
However, COVID-19 can also be spread by people who are not showing symptoms, Harmon said.
“One-third of patients who are infected with the coronavirus are asymptomatic,” Harmon said. “Thirty-three percent never even knew they had it, and we don’t know whether they’re infectious or not.”
Those diagnosed with the coronavirus can also pass it onto others for up to three days before exhibiting symptoms, according to the CDC. Furthermore, it may be possible a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or eyes, though it is not thought to be the primary way the virus spreads, the CDC reports.
While children and young people do not appear to be at high risk of contracting the virus, Harmon said it is critical that it be understood they can still get sick or infect others. Though, some data on children reported that the majority who needed hospitalization for COVID-19 had at least one underlying medical condition, the CDC reports.
“They can make other people sick or young people sick with diseases like cancer or diabetes,” Harmon said. “This virus could be fatal to a 16-year-old with asthma.”
Treatment
Since the flu has been around much longer than COVID-19, there are more treatment options and vaccines available to prevent one from contracting the illness. The yearly vaccine, while not 100 percent effective or mandated, still offers some protection and can slow the spread and lessen the severity of the illness, according to the CDC.
If diagnosed with the flu, some cases may require medical treatment while others will be prescribed antiviral drugs that in some cases reduce symptoms in one-to-two days.
While the antiviral drugs help the body ward off the virus, there are currently no vaccines or antiviral drugs approved to treat COVID-19. Those who test positive for the coronavirus are advised to quarantine for 14 days or go to the hospital if symptoms worsen.
Currently, viral tests are used to diagnose COVID-19, with tests identifying the virus in respiratory samples, such as from swabs from inside the nose. Antibody testing is also available, with clinicians taking a sample of a person’s blood to look for antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19.
However, experts don’t know yet if those who recover from COVID-19 can get infected again, according to the CDC. It’s also likely a vaccine won’t be ready until early 2021, experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warn.
But as restrictions begin to lift in states nationwide, health experts still urge the best way to prevent contracting the virus is to avoid exposure. Methods include social distancing, maintaining a six-foot distance from others, and avoiding non-essential social contact or travel.
Also encouraged is practicing good personal hygiene by washing your hand regularly, avoid touching the face, sanitizing and wearing a cloth face mask.
“Hopefully, we’ll have more treatments within the next six months,” Harmon said. “This is not a forever situation.”
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 12:33 PM.
