So I tweeted about this last week. We are starting to get studies out of California and the world that suggest coronavirus is far more infectious than we realize, but also less deadly. https://twitter.com/FOXLA/status/1252341384205352960

I want to be clear: I'm not in favor of ending social distancing. The data is still too limited. Rather, I want more studies because it'll give us a better picture of how spread and dangerous this virus is.

Two studies out of CA have suggested mortality rates for COVID are near the flu. Does that mean the virus is only as dangerous as the flu? No. Mortality is one factor; this disease does so much damage to the body without killing someone that it is way more dangerous than the flu.

Also, with the flu, people have immunity, vaccines, and a medial system built to deal with the influx of patients. None of this stuff exists with COVID 19, so as it spreads, it leaves more destruction than the flu.

Finally, in New York City, if the mortality of COVID was at flu-like levels, the entire population would already have it. That's not possible. So yeah, this is worse than the flu. So what's the point of these studies?

Well, NYC isn't the world. It's possible COVID's mortality rate differs in different regions based on how swamped hospitals get. These studies can let us know if the damage we see in NY is b/c of the virus's deadliness or its spread.

Once we figure that out, we can shape better policy that figures out how to limit deaths and also limit hospitals being overwhelmed. Again, this doesn't mean if the virus isn't that deadly, we end social distancing. Hell, it could mean continuing it. But we'll know more.

Last tweet: NY has started antibody tests. The results will be interesting. But IDK if they're using a totally random sample.