03-05-2020, 11:14 AM
rainyjim - It may be that Italy is suffering from a more virulent strain(s).
You might enjoy this refutation of the L&S strain paper, as they note there are over 100 "strains" with small genomic differences with no demonstrated evidence for any being more or less virulent (warning - science ahead!)
http://virological.org/t/response-to-on-...-cov-2/418
That said, even without different strains, Case Fatality Rates are of course going to vary by region with those areas with older people seeing more severe and fatal outcomes. Look around and think about what this might mean for you and your immediate community here!
You might enjoy this refutation of the L&S strain paper, as they note there are over 100 "strains" with small genomic differences with no demonstrated evidence for any being more or less virulent (warning - science ahead!)
http://virological.org/t/response-to-on-...-cov-2/418
That said, even without different strains, Case Fatality Rates are of course going to vary by region with those areas with older people seeing more severe and fatal outcomes. Look around and think about what this might mean for you and your immediate community here!