Why COVID-19 Is More Dangerous Than SARS... 3.2 Times More Self-Replication

Inflammation and Immune Response Slower Than SARS
High Likelihood of COVID-19 Persisting Beyond This Summer

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Young-shin] A study has found that the virus production capacity of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is more than three times that of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

The Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 12th (local time) that a research team led by Yuan Guoyong, a professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong, published a paper containing these research results in the medical journal Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

This study was conducted by taking tissue samples from the lungs of six COVID-19 patients. The results showed that COVID-19 produced 3.2 times more viral particles than SARS within 48 hours.

The research team explained, "While SARS replicated itself 10 to 20 times within 48 hours, COVID-19 replicated itself 100 times in some cases."

However, COVID-19 showed much slower inflammatory and immune responses compared to SARS. This means that although the spread rate is faster than SARS, there were many mild or asymptomatic cases. The research team added that this made it difficult for global health authorities to detect COVID-19.

The research team warned that COVID-19 could continue to spread even after this summer. They cautioned, "Since 90% of the population lacks immunity, the virus may continue to spread after this summer."

The research team advised that to prevent the spread of COVID-19, continuous personal hygiene practices (wearing masks, hand washing) and social distancing must be maintained, and diagnostic testing should be increased.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.