As panic spreads over the growing toll of coronavirus infections globally, reassurance can be found in the high number of recovery rates.
More than 63,600 have recovered from the illness out of 113,739 since it was first announced in late December – that is more than half the number of infected to date.
So far 115 countries have reported infections, with the vast majority in China at more than 80,750 followed by Italy with in excess of 9,170. But countries are also reporting recovery rates daily.
The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention on Monday announced the recovery of five patients of the Covid-19 coronavirus. This brought the total number of recovered patients in the UAE to 12.
The WHO stressed that the mortality rate remains relatively low: “This is a very serious outbreak and it has the potential to grow, but we need to balance that in terms of the number of people infected. Outside Hubei this epidemic is affecting a very, very tiny, tiny proportion of people”, said Michael Ryan, head of WHO’s health emergencies program.
In China there were 3,136 recorded deaths when this story was written, but 59,943 recoveries.
While the spread of the virus has raised concerns, so too has the myths and misinformation about the disease, prompting the World Health Organization to refer to it as an “infodemic.”
Although experts don't yet have a clear picture of how deadly COVID-19 is when compared with other viruses, research suggests the global mortality rate for COVID-19 currently is around 3.4% - which makes the virus a more severe illness than the flu, but doesn't spread as efficiently.
