The Coronavirus began in December of 2019 and has rapidly spread across the globe. Not only is there no known cure or treatment, but the virus has spread and the death toll has risen swiftly over little time.

On Sunday, February 9th, another 97 people died in China due to the Coronavirus. This brought the death toll to a shocking 910. In comparison to the SARS outbreak in 2003, the Coronavirus has now overtaken it by 136 more deaths. (CNN)

Globally, the number of confirmed cases has risen to 40,710. This past weekend, other countries like Thailand, France, and Singapore have announced new infections and currently have 40 cases (CNN). According to worldometer.info, as of February 10th, 2020, the global death toll of the Coronavirus is 1,018, which is about 20% of the cases with an outcome.

 With a shocking rise in death tolls over a few days, what else can be expected from the virus? Because the Coronavirus is a new epidemic that has little background to research from, predictions about its future are not easy to make. Unlike the Coronavirus, the flu has been a seasonal occurrence that has had more research done on. But we should not underestimate and/or forget about seasonal flu after being bombarded by the impact on the Coronavirus.

With such a large reaction from the public to the Coronavirus, it is easy to forget about another epidemic, the flu, that is going around. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu has already caused 78 deaths in the U.S. alone this season. Compared to the Coronavirus death toll of none in the U.S, the flu is a much larger threat to Americans. 

Danielle Huizar (10) says “I know the Coronavirus is quickly spreading but the reaction that it is getting seems a little excessive, especially because it does not pose an immediate threat to us, at least right now. The flu, on the other hand, is more of a threat because it is more common and is seasonal. Also, people don’t feel the need to take it seriously and do not get flu shots.” She adds a new perspective by including how people do not often get flu shots during the flu season. This would increase the severity of the dangers of the flu and make it even more common.

Altogether, the Coronavirus death toll has increased immensely, but should not concern many people more than the common flu should. Yet, social media and other news platforms create an overtop reaction to the virus. The flu should be more concerning to the average population in America than a virus from a different country.