Seasonal influenza has a higher mortality rate than COVID-19, said Pulmonologist Gustavo Ferrer.

As people express fears over the coronavirus, many medical professionals are urging people to remember that seasonal influenza takes 290,000-650,000 lives each year, according to the World Health Organization.

Ferrer is the founder of the Cleveland Clinic Florida Cough Clinic Interstitial Lung Disease in Miami, Florida.

He said it's important not to panic over the novel coronavirus as more details are yet to be known.

Gustavo added that people should be more aware of how to prevent the spread of all illnesses, and not just the coronavirus.

He also compared COVID-19 to MERS and SARS.