Coronavirus can infect 70% of the population: Only a portion of them will have the severe form

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Coronavirus can infect up to 70 percent of the population, but 80 percent of those infected will have no symptoms, says Professor Branimir Nestorovic, an allergist and pulmonologist at the University Children's Clinic in Belgrade.

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Professor Nestorovic says that COVID-19 is harmless to the majority of the population, but that a quarter of the 20 percent of those who encounter problems end up on a ventilator and in the hospital.

"70 percent of the population gets infected. Of those, 80 have no problems, 20 get sick and 20 percent of them have a serious illness. That quarter is enough for there to be a drama, to have a lot of them on ventilators, in hospitals. That is why it's important that there are fewer cases, and when there are fewer cases there will be fewer severe forms," said Prof. Dr. Nestorovic.

He also says that an Italian study published five days ago based on more than 300 coronavirus deaths where autopsies have been performed, showed that 99 percent of the victims had a prior chronic illness.

"99 percent of the 300 or more of those autopsied had another chronic disease and half of them all three: caradiovascular, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There are individual cases, where younger people will get sick, but in the end the pattern will be the same everywhere," he said.

He added that it is too early to say that the average of patients in Serbia is about 50, and points out that, however, older persons are among the cases in Serbia.

"That's a very small patient sample for a serious average. The average is spoiled by a patient who is 35 and another who is 40 something. Most are old people. According to Italian statistics, the average age of patients is 63 and of those who die 81. Younger people get sick but rarely die," says prof. Dr. Nestorovic.

Photo: Tanjug/AP

Coronavirus patients don't necessarily have fever

Asked if fever is an unavoidable symptom of coronavirus, he says that it is not:

"There is a fraction of patients who only sneeze. That's the problem with this virus. And, the problem is with younger people who don't notice they are infected and spread it."

(LJ.R. - lj.racic@telegraf.rs)