Hantavirus Vs Coronavirus: High Fatality, 45-Day Incubation & Past Cases In India Explained

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:00]But a lot of people are constantly drawing comparison with CO. While the WHO continuously emphasizes, underlines and says several times even in one briefing that this is not COVID, we thought we'll bring you a ballby comparison of both corona virus and habirus on various aspects. Let's start first with how it spreads. Let me jog your memory a little bit about corona virus. Remember SARS CO 2? It spread very efficiently between people through respiratory droplets. The corona virus had a reproductive rate between 1 and four. Meaning one infected person could typically infect between one or four others. What does H do on the other hand? Ant virus usually spreads through inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings, urine and saliva. Now most strains do not spread from person to person at all but this rare exception has happened in the Andes strain. Only this particular strain has documented persontoerson transmission. Now who is also investigating whether this Andes strain is becoming more efficient with every passing human being at spreading between people an area that needs more investigation. As of this point, humans remember typically get it after being exposed to another infected rodent or airborne rodent droppings as well. If you'll remember how that case started with case zero. But let's talk about perhaps the biggest difference between the two which is the incubation period and perhaps the biggest worry also with ha virus. Now corona virus the incubation period is was shorter if you'll remember 2 to 14 days. Most people developed symptoms within five days of exposure. With HTA, the incubation period actually ranges from 7 to 45 days. A study of 20 patients found that the median incubation period was about 18 days with a range of about 7 to 39. Now, this long window makes early detection specifically difficult, meaning that the first symptom of the virus can appear even a month and a half after exposure. So that's really tricky with HA. But let's look at survival rate as well. There's also a difference on that front. Now COVID, you'll remember it varied from country to country. In Canada, for example, it hovered around 1.1%. However, the WHO reported the mortality rate of COVID 19 in severe cases could exceed 50% in critical cases. Vaccines and antivirals have significantly improved that outcome of course since 2020. Cut to HA. The fatality rate for Hanta is 30 to 40%.

[00:02:42]There is no specific treatment or cure and care remains supportive only as is the case in most cases right impact on the body. Let's look at that. What happens in extreme cases when it was you know SARS CO 2 it sort of binds with the if you'll remember A2 receptors. It's like a receptor present in virtually every cell of your body can adversely thus impact every organ system. It causes inflammation, narrowing of the blood vessels, clotting of the tissues, fluid buildup. All of that can be caused in the heart, it could cause uh uh you know angina, it could cause heart failure, it could reduce blood flow, arrhythmia, all of those things. Kidney injury also, strokes in very young patients as well, seizures as well was reported. In fact, in lesser cases, there was loss of smell. Taste was reported. Long-term effects of COVID 19.

[00:03:33]We already know it includes lasting fatigue, brain fog, respiratory difficulties, and also loss of taste and smell persisting for weeks if not months of initial infection. What's happening with HA? Ha can rapidly progress to respiratory failure, swelling in the lungs, and shock in about 40% of the cases. Most deaths result from cardiac arrest and lab findings typically include low platelet counts, elevated white blood cells and also thickening of the blood. The disease progression in respiratory failure can occur between 1 to 6 days after symptoms begin. This is important because that means once you get the virus it rapidly progresses in your body. Let's talk about the source then of the two viruses. COVID you'll remember corona virus believed to have originated from bats and got into humans very quickly became the primary you know reservoir over there in a you know uh as it was said it was also first identified in 2019 December in Juan China ha on the other hand are RNA viruses sort of harbored by specific rodent species and transmitted to humans by inhalation like I said of the contaminated rodent fe of the feces, urine or even saliva. Now these rodents carry the virus sort of chronically without sort of showing illness and also continuously shed it through droppings, urine and also saliva. Let's look at fatality rates.

[00:05:04]Now COVID 19 had resulted in over 6 million deaths worldwide. While its per case fatality rate is far lower than HA, COVID is deadlier or was deadlier at least so far the cases globally due to the transmission efficiency in H. What's happening? The mortality rate for Hanta is about 30 to 40%, because the virus can severely impact lung function. About 200 cases of Hanta virus occurred uh you know each year. This is not a new virus but it happens morally you know mostly in North and South America. And despite its high sort of you know lethality per case, the spread is somehow still limited found only in specific areas.

[00:05:44]I'll tell you about that. But first let's look at symptoms.

[00:05:48]Okay, let's move to symptoms of and comparison between the two. Now, corona virus most cases are mild um and cause fever uh coughing, sore throat, body aches, fatigue, sort of severe you know cases may experience shortness of breath um sort of association of lung injury, liver inflammation like I said expected to be worsening in severe cases typically occurs between 7 to 10 days.

[00:06:14]Loss of smell and taste are hallmark symptoms. When it comes to hanta virus, it is characterized by fever, muscle ache, cough, shortness of breath, diarrhea and sweating. The rapid progression to shock or sort of respiratory distress can also occur within hours. It's often sort of initially you know presents like you know presents itself in like flu-l like symptoms and many also misdiagnose it to influenza before you know conditions deterate. So what's the bottom line really over here? Remember Hanta virus so far what we know is a far higher proportion of those infected uh you know but unlike COVID 19 it is once it's hit you it will progress very quickly. Covid on the other hand spread very fast but there were ways in which you could control it right. Ha virus also remember is not new and not new in India either.

[00:07:18]Cases have been reported in 2000 in Kochi and Chennai near velour. There were some cases in 2008 as well. This Andre strain however has far been largely concentrated in countries like Argentina in Uruguay in Chile. Remember patient zero uh also went to all these places bird watching and that's how he actually got the virus. So so far that's all we know about the virus. WHO continues to say that there the uh you know the impact and the scare is at the moment low but we need to stay alert and need to understand a few more details.