What makes it pandemic worthy?

[JustCuriousToday]

Hello,

We've recently had covid19 and were extremely lucky to have it mildly, DH was ill for one day and loss his taste and smell and I must be asymptomatic as I've had a positive test and been absolutely fine and I appreciate that's not the case for everyone which got me thinking about why it's been classed as a pandemic and just wanted someone more intelligent than I am to explain it like I'm five.

The reason I ask is because in England 2 million people have had it (I guess the ones we know about), 71,000 have sadly died but out of 66 millions this isn't exactly a lot and according to google the death rate is about 1% which looking at the numbers on paper isn't a lot and it says 1 in 3 people (which is a lot) don't know they have it. (not to minimise the death of the people of course it's very sad and I'm so sorry if you have lost someone to covid during this time) but couldn't the same be said about the flu, I know it's nothing like the flu but in the sense you don't know how that will affect you some people get it and are fine whereas others need medical intervention and some die or was that not classed as a pandemic because we have vaccines?

Is it because it was a new virus that we didn't know much about and how it would affect the population that makes it a pandemic or something else? In theory now that we know more and vaccines are being rolled out does that give us hope that this could be all over soon or could a spanner be thrown in the works meaning this pandemic could last years or do we just not know? Or is it nothing to do with deaths and more to do with the effects of the virus? Or a bit of everything?

Sorry if this is a stupid question, it's just when I think of pandemic I think of the Black Plague where you saw people dying in the street or the Spanish flu that killed millions in a small time frame so I was just wondering why it was classed as a pandemic and I've found this thread quite helpful in the past.

Thank you

The definition of pandemic is

"prevalent over a whole country or the world"

which bit of that do you think doesn't apply?

Essentially because it's a worldwide problem.

Hasn't covid killed or will potentially kill the same as Spanish flu?

A pandemic is defined as “an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people”. The classical definition includes nothing about population immunity, virology or disease severity.

The definition is quite simple.

From the World Health Organisation

A pandemic is defined as “an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people”. The classical definition includes nothing about population immunity, virology or disease severity.

By this definition, pandemics can be said to occur annually in each of the temperate southern and northern hemispheres, given that seasonal epidemics cross international boundaries and affect a large number of people. However, seasonal epidemics are not considered pandemics.

The fact that it’s spreading in many countries and regions is what classes it as a pandemic.

While those who become seriously ill/die are a small proportion, the fact that it is new and no-one had any immunity to it makes it possible that many, most, or all people could become infected within a short period of time. Were that to happen, there would be a major collapse of healthcare and other services, civil unrest and all kinds of really bad things.

Oh, that makes sense. I should have just googled the definition of "pandemic" instead of posting here - I thought it had something to do with deaths etc as like in history when you hear pandemic it's like the Black Plague, Spanish flu etc so I thought it was more to do with that rather than it affecting people worldwide because the flu affects people worldwide too so I didn't connect the dots but like said they are seasonal illnesses

Totally wasted people's time with this question, I'm sorry but thank you all for being nice about it and explaining.

Hasn't covid killed or will potentially kill the same as Spanish flu?

They estimate 20-50 million died from Spanish flu, although some estimate of was as high as 100 million. I think we're at about 2 million with COVID now, so not quite as bad (but it goes without saying, still really bad).

I found this interesting as also thought that a pandemic would involve people falling dead in the street. I've watched too many films!

Because something being a pandemic is nothing to do with how severe it is.

The Spanish flu back in 1918-1920, was caused by a new strain of H1N1. There's a vaccine for each new bout of seasonal flu now, but still no cure. New variations of this pop up every few years, sometimes killing many, such as bird flu. Many people still die each year, from regular flu/H1N1 related issues.

A pandemic is when a disease spreads and becomes a global problem, such as aids (which kills about a million people per year).

This isn't the first coronavirus. SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus, so the first of it's type, but similar to known types found in bats (and other animals).

It spread relatively fast though, far and wide, has mutated, and each new strain could also produce other new strains. It's killed a lot of people already, and the new strain in the UK, will spread even faster. The sooner we have an effectively vaccinated population, the better.

@JustCuriousToday

There’s a really great website called Google. You just ask it stuff (like “what’s a pandemic”) and it tells you.

Probably faster and easier than typing several paragraphs into a random forum and hoping for the best.

Sorry not the first of it's type, d'oh, it's novel as in it's "new".

There is also a lot between ‘asymptomatic/slightly ill’ and ‘dead’. For me it has been like an absolutely debilitating dose of flu - no I didn’t need hospital treatment but this can put healthy people out of action for 3-4 weeks with some symptoms lingering well past that. I assumed I’d be one of those who had it mildly and barely noticed. I wasn’t. The effect on society of a significant number of people being knocked out of action like this all at the same time would be pretty severe in itself notwithstanding the cases that are so much worse.

[quote PaddyF0dder]@JustCuriousToday

There’s a really great website called Google. You just ask it stuff (like “what’s a pandemic”) and it tells you.

Probably faster and easier than typing several paragraphs into a random forum and hoping for the best.[/quote]
Which is sort of what I said on my previous reply saying that I have just googled it and it has stated we have had quite a few pandemics in recent years which I didn't know about, maybe like PP I've just watched too many films and expected a "walking dead situation"

I think it's worth keeping in mind too when looking at mortality rates, that during past pandemics, there wasn't the health care, nhs, more complex PPE etc, that there is now. Nor the advances in hygiene and laundry capabilities, phones to ring and ambulance if you couldn't breathe, etc.

I'm not even sure if there was a test, or people just went by symptoms.

*A test for the Spanish flu that is.

Random fact, what's now knows as AIDS, was once called GRID by medical professionals, it was known as gay-related immune deficiency.

If this had occurred without modern medicine, there might well be people dying in the streets.

As it is, the health service is at capacity. We're close to a situation where people with urgent illness will be unable to access treatment and die at home.

@JesusInTheCabbageVan

Hasn't covid killed or will potentially kill the same as Spanish flu?

They estimate 20-50 million died from Spanish flu, although some estimate of was as high as 100 million. I think we're at about 2 million with COVID now, so not quite as bad (but it goes without saying, still really bad).

Thank you for your kind answer i googled after I posted rookie mistake