Dr. Baden's worst-case scenario for coronavirus
"It could be serious," says Dr. Michael Baden, explaining why he thinks coronavirus has the potential to be the next Spanish flu
Dr. Michael Baden, renowned forensic pathologist and a Fox News contributor, said Thursday that while he believes it is still much too early to be concerned about the impact of coronavirus being comparable to the Spanish flu, he is worried that "it could be serious."
In an interview on "Fox & Friends" with hosts Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Pete Hegseth, Baden said that the problem with coronavirus lies in its novelty.
"This doesn't compare to [the Spanish flu] as [of] now, but the problem here is that with the coronavirus, people can be sick and be contagious and have the bug in them and feel healthy," he explained.
"We haven't done enough studies," he continued. "Less than a thousand people [who] have been studied in the United States so far have been tested for it. We don't know how many people [there are who] are walking around now who are contagious and don't know they are sick. So, that's why all the research has to be done [at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)].]They are looking at that right now, but we just don't know and it could be more serious than we think it is or less serious."
CORONAVIRUS INFECTS WOMAN IN JAPAN FOR THE SECOND TIME, A FIRST IN THE COUNTRY
In a Wednesday evening news conference at the White House, President Trump promised a vaccine for the virus is being developed "rapidly" and "coming along very well."
The president also announced he was putting Vice President Mike Pence "in charge" of coronavirus prevention efforts, effective immediately. The White House had reportedly considered naming a virus czar to be the point person on the disease.
Workers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus at a market in Bupyeong, South Korea, on Monday. South Korea reported another large jump in new virus cases Monday a day after the president called for "unprecedented, powerful" steps to combat the outbreak that is increasingly confounding attempts to stop the spread. (Lee Jong-chul/Newsis via AP)
So far, there have been 60 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S. in total. That figure includes individuals who have been repatriated to the United States, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar later clarified at the podium.
Fifteen people were in the initial set of cases, three more came from evacuation flights, and 42 were from the Diamond Princess ship that was quarantined by Japanese health authorities earlier this month.
Even as he reassured Americans that "great quarantine facilities" have been set up, the president noted that the scale of the virus has been somewhat misrepresented. He said he was "shocked" and "amazed" when he spoke to medical experts and heard the flu kills from 25,000 to 69,000 people per year.
By contrast, only 2,700 people globally have been confirmed killed by coronavirus, although China and other countries are likely not reporting accurate numbers. Thus far, coronavirus has sickened over 82,000 people worldwide.
Earhardt asked Baden if he was worried.
"I am worried about it, yes, because it's a new virus that's come into the community. We have no antibodies against it, no experience with it before," he replied.
Baden said that with the flu there is experience, people have "partial immunities," and there is one death per every 100,000. Whereas, with coronavirus, thus far, there have been 30 deaths recorded per every 100,000.
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"So, it could be serious," he warned.
Baden said that President Trump's promise to the American people and the efforts of the CDC and top doctors inspired confidence in him. However, Baden stressed, they "have got be working on the biology of it and trying to figure out how to deal with it."
"We know that it's contagious enough that if a person is sick, sending them to a hospital is going to make more people sick," he said. "So, you keep them at home as long as you can and try to cut down the spread even if people have the virus because most of the people will recover by themselves without much treatment."
Fox News' Gregg Re, Andrew O'Reilly, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.