Director of Public Health Kim Saruwatari of Riverside County demonstrates in this new video just how dangerous COVID-19 is just in the first six months of 2020. She reports that COVID-19 is equally as serious as diabetes, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease when measuring “years of life lost” due to the disease. The methodology assumes that an average person lives 75 years of age. They take the number of deaths from a disease and count the number of potential years lost due to premature death. So, if someone dies of COVID at age 40, then the loss of potential life is 35 years.
When comparing other diseases, COVID-19 is turning out to be equally as dangerous in less time (6 months versus 1 year).  However, there is a significant difference on how you contract the different diseases. You cannot “catch” diabetes, have a stroke, or suffer from COPD by being around another person who suffers from any of these diseases. With COVID-19, you can! COVID-19 is transmitted by breathing in contaminated, yet miniscule, water droplets released by someone else talking, singing, coughing, and/or sneezing. You can also catch COVID-19 by touching objects with contaminated water droplets and then touching your face. Once on your face, the virus will enter your mouth, nose, or eyes and spread throughout your internal body.
Remember, to avoid catching COVID-19, please follow these safety tips:
- Wear a face mask or covering when in public and intermixing with those outside of your immediate household
- Social distance at least 6 feet from those outside of your immediate household
- Wash your hands often throughout the day especially before eating and drinking
- Avoid touching your face unless you clean or sanitize your hands first
- Disinfect items touched often like surfaces and smartphones
- Stay home unless going out for essential functions
