WE'RE NOT ITALY - BUT THE FEAR-MONGERS PANICKED
How dangerously quick we were to panic about the coronavirus, particularly after watching Italy. Sure, that was understandable … at first. Italy recorded its first death from the virus on February 21. Just 21 days later, it had 1266 deaths. But nothing like that was happening here. Yet we had terrifying claims of tens of thousands of deaths.
How dangerously quick we were to panic about the coronavirus, particularly after watching Italy.
Sure, that was understandable … at first.
Italy recorded its first death from the virus on February 21. Just 21 days later, it had 250 people dying in a day, with 1266 total deaths.
But nothing like that was happening here.
In the 21 days since our first death on March 8, just 16 Australians died.
That’s tragic, but all were old — most very old — and many had very serious illnesses such as cancer.
It was always likely we’d cope better than Italy, and not just because our hospitals are better.
After all, this is a virus that kills mostly the old, and Italians are much older than us: their median age is 10 years higher.
Italians also live closer together and smoke 50 per cent more cigarettes per person than do Australians, which may be significant with a virus that kills when it attacks the lungs.
Also feeding our panic was the appalling World Health Organisation, which still claims this virus kills 3.4 per cent of those who catch it.