> What exactly would you consider a non-mild respiratory virus?
SARS-1 is an example of a non-mild respiratory virus. We don't know quite as much about it since it never became a massive global phenomenon the way SARS-2 did, but the research I've read basically indicates that a "run-of-the-mill" SARS-1 infection is much like a severe COVID-19 case.
People seem to really be taking issue with my statement, and I think it comes down to them conflating "mild respiratory virus for the majority of the population" with "mild respiratory virus for everyone". Here's one simple way to put it: if "asymptomatic COVID-19" (which is an oxymoron but I'll spare you that rant) is as common as they say it is, that's an indication that it is a mild respiratory virus in many people.
SARS-1 is an example of a non-mild respiratory virus. We don't know quite as much about it since it never became a massive global phenomenon the way SARS-2 did, but the research I've read basically indicates that a "run-of-the-mill" SARS-1 infection is much like a severe COVID-19 case.
People seem to really be taking issue with my statement, and I think it comes down to them conflating "mild respiratory virus for the majority of the population" with "mild respiratory virus for everyone". Here's one simple way to put it: if "asymptomatic COVID-19" (which is an oxymoron but I'll spare you that rant) is as common as they say it is, that's an indication that it is a mild respiratory virus in many people.