Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 2) — An epidemiologist said Tuesday that there is no data to support the claim that the virus which causes COVID-19 is becoming less deadly.
“There is no substantial evidence that in one way or another the novel coronavirus is becoming more lethal or less lethal,” Dr. Troy Gepta said in a media forum.
The scientific name of the novel coronavirus is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2. Other coronaviruses known to infect humans include SARS coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.
Gepta said the WHO is gathering more evidence about the severity of the SARS-CoV 2.
He said that what is proven is that SARS-COV-2 is more infectious than SARS-CoV, but it may be less lethal than the MERS coronavirus.
He added that MERS’ case fatality rate is over 30 percent, while COVID-19’s death rate seems to hover at 2 to 3 percent or 4 to 5 percent, depending on what country.
Gepta was made to react to the statement of a top Italian doctor who reportedly said over the weekend that SARS-CoV-2 is losing its potency to infect people.
For her part, Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said more research is necessary before this conclusion can be reached.
“Kailangan pang pag-aralan maigi ito. (This has to be studied more.) I am not a clinician but hindi mo masasabi na less fatal na (but you cannot say that [SARS-CoV-2]) is now less fatal).”
“Ang sinasabi nilang (Their claim that) patients are showing significantly less viral load – it has to be studied well dahil magkakaiba ang implikasyon ng sinasabi nito. (because of its different implications).”
She explained that the viral load or infection dose is the amount of a specific virus in a sample taken from a patient. She said this viral load increases if a carrier shows symptoms.
