The fate of less virulent respiratory diseases

[Jarhyn]

So, there are many respiratory diseases in our world, and many of them are in fact coronaviruses. This one is new because it is so acutely lethal in a very probabilistic way. It is right to respond to it

Now I might ask what impact this response will have on all the lesser diseases. Colds, flus, everything else that is not this new thing seems... Well, it seems less able to be what it is than this coronavirus. This is exactly what has been discussed about defeating the common cold itself.

So, what DOES happen to "the common cold" and "just a thing going around" after we drop this nuke on disease? Some treatments are broader spectrum, so will this too be?

 

[TSwizzle]

So, there are many respiratory diseases in our world, and many of them are in fact coronaviruses. This one is new because it is so acutely lethal in a very probabilistic way.

Hmmm, I'm not convinced of that yet.

It is right to respond to it

True but I am not convinced that a draconian lockdown is the way to go.

 

[blastula]

The hand washing and masks and distancing should cut down on all respiratory infectious diseases. It will be interesting to compare the epidemiology of all those diseases after all this is done. Air pollution levels and crime rates are down too. I wonder what the net effect on mortality will be.

Drug treatments are another thing. Initially, they are trying known broad spectrum approaches, while trying to develop something more specific. I have heard in theory it is possible (and probably should have been attempted years ago) to make a general antiviral for most coronaviruses because there are some areas that are well conserved among them. Any covid vaccine will probably be too specific for broad use.

In one way we got a break with covid because a virus could be coming that is much more lethal. Hopefully, we will learn from this to be better prepared.