Smoking may be virus death rate link
THE Covid-19 epidemic is stretching everyones nerves. Can I suggest that readers preserve their sanity by ignoring the apocalyptic claims of TV pundits?
Making any prediction on the highly questionable data from China is a serious error.
Every death in the UK is a tragedy but the daily totals must be seen in context of over 620,000 deaths annually, nearly 2,000 a day.
Britain’s virus mortality rate per head of population remains lower than Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The scenes from northern Italy are truly tragic but even now we do not know how many of those deaths were caused purely by the virus.
Iceland, with its population of 360,000 has the best data in the world on the virus. As of the
30 March only two of the country’s 1086 infected patients have died. This is a mortality rate of
0.2 %., significantly lower than the 3.4% quoted by the WHO March 3.
Iceland has good quality air and a low smoking rate. China has air pollution and up to 40% male smokers. North Italy has a high percentage of smokers.
As the virus appears to attack the respiratory system, population smoking rates may explain the different rates of virulence between different populations.
Low smoking Britain may not be as badly affected as others. Iceland’s data can be seen at: www. covid.is/data
Martin Judge, Coventry.
Dont blame the government
I THINK the criticism directed at the government in the repatriation of Brits abroad is totally unwarranted.
Personally I think, for those who are abroad on holiday it is a very stupid and selfish thing to do at a time like this.
Roy Frost, Marton.