Is the Hantavirus Similar to COVID-19?
A recent hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius has prompted comparisons to the early days of COVID-19. While the two viruses share some surface similarities, infectious disease experts say the comparison largely falls short. Here is why.
What They Have in Common
On the surface, the two diseases do share some characteristics. Both hantavirus and COVID-19 are viral diseases that can cause serious respiratory illness, and some early symptoms of hantavirus — including fatigue, fever, muscle aches, headaches, and dizziness — can initially resemble those of COVID-19. Additionally, the virus that causes COVID-19 has an incubation period of about two weeks, while hantavirus has a much longer incubation period, with the Andes strain incubating for as long as 42 days, increasing the window during which exposed people need to monitor for symptoms.
How They Spread Is Fundamentally Different
The most critical distinction between the two viruses is how they transmit. COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory virus that spreads through infected persons breathing out droplets and small air particles, making it highly transmissible and carrying strong potential for widespread outbreaks. Hantavirus, by contrast, is tied to environmental factors and is generally acquired from infected rodents. According to the WHO and public health experts, person-to-person transmission of hantavirus is rare and requires close, prolonged contact — such as within the same household or through intimate contact — and does not spread through casual social interaction.
Hantavirus Is Far More Deadly but Far Less Contagious
The tradeoff between the two viruses is stark. The mortality rate for COVID-19 in the U.S. is about 1%, while the Andes hantavirus has a mortality rate of up to 39.8%. However, its lethality is offset by its limited spread. In 2025, eight countries across the Americas reported just 229 hantavirus cases and 59 deaths — severe infections, but rare events. There is currently no specific antiviral drug for Andes virus and no licensed vaccine, so care focuses on close monitoring and managing respiratory and cardiovascular complications.
Why a Pandemic Is Unlikely
Public health experts are firm that hantavirus poses no credible pandemic threat. CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder likened COVID-19 to dry forest conditions ideal for a wildfire, while describing hantavirus as "a wet log in a stone fireplace" — something that may smolder briefly but will ultimately die out. The longer incubation period also gives health officials more time to develop a response, unlike COVID-19's short incubation, which allowed it to spread far more quickly. Experts say the global public health risk remains low.
