@Ekfreet
You have awakened the nerd in me.
It is true statistically speaking that common cold since it's a virus the number of times an average person may be infected by it is all around nearly the same. So your remark is entirely true.
People in Asian countries (as opposed to my previous claim), I found, suffer from non-viral diseases in a much larger percentage than people from first world countries.
What this means is that the biggest contributor to upper respiratory disesases is particulate matter, smoking, and just pollution.
While these diseases are known for their chronic symptoms, (like TB, COPD,asthma etc) there are many more cases that affect simply the upper respiratory tract and hence can be cured by a week or so of bed- rest.
This is in direct correlation to why people in Asian countries wear masks even prior to this pandemic.
Not to protect them from viruses, but rather from pollutants, or health hazards in their workplace.
TLDR:
Most upper respiratory diseases in Asia are caused by viruses and pollutants, dirt etc. More pollution, means more chances of getting sick by non-viral means. Hence it's easier to get sick in Asian countries.
Honestly I'm glad we had this interaction cuz I gained a lot of information from it.😊