Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), coronavirus symptoms and coronavirus prevention



CoronaVirus

CoronaVirus

In today's world, the most concerning and most discussed topic is the Coronavirus and the number of people infected by this virus as it is spreading in the world like Epidemic. 

What is CoronaVirus?


According to the World Health Organization (WHO)Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause disease common cold to more severe diseases like Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). 

A novel coronavirus (nCoV) which breakthrough in the year 2019-2020 is a new species of Coronavirus whose properties have not been identified yet. Specialists say that it is a virus which is transmitting from human to human.  WHo describes it as a zoonotic virus as it is spreading between humans and animals.


How all this start?

COVID-19 was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. According to media reports it started from a sea-food market of Wuhan.

Municipal Health corporation of a small province of China announces that in their area few people are suffering from pneumonia-like disease and many among them are critical. They also declared that doctors of their area are unable to point out the germ which caused this disease.

Soon they declared they found few more patients with the same symptoms.
After observing all the cases Doctors soon came to the conclusion that this is the effect of either an unknown virus or bacteria which is transmitting easily. They kept these patents isolated and specialist scientists started their investigation to identify the cause component. 

On 9th January 2020 Center for disease control and prevention (CDC) stated that they identified the cause and it is a new species of CoronaVirus (nCOV19). On 10th January CDC showed the genome sequence of this new virus.12th January this virus has been named Severe acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).
(Data collected from various websites)


Worldwide scenario

CoronaVirus isn't confined to China anymore; it spread through the whole World as a pandemic. 

Locations with Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, by WHO Region


Africa


Algeria


Burkina Faso


Cameroon


Democratic Republic of Congo


Ghana


Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)


Kenya


Nigeria


Senegal


South Africa


Togo


Americas


Argentina


Bolivia


Brazil


Canada


Chile


Colombia


Costa Rica


Cuba


Dominican Republic


Ecuador


French Guiana


Guadalupe


Guyana


Honduras


Jamaica


Martinique


Mexico


Panama


Paraguay


Peru


Trinidad and Tobago


United States


Eastern Mediterranean


Afghanistan


Bahrain


Egypt


Iran


Iraq


Jordan


Kuwait


Lebanon


Morocco


Oman


Pakistan


Qatar


Saudi Arabia


Tunisia


United Arab Emirates


Europe


Albania


Andorra


Armenia


Austria


Azerbaijan


Belarus


Belgium


Bosnia and Herzegovina


Bulgaria


Croatia


Cyprus


Czechia


Denmark


Estonia


Finland


France


Georgia


Germany


Gibraltar


Greece


Holy See (Vatican City)


Hungary


Iceland


Ireland


Israel


Italy


Kazakhstan


Latvia


Liechtenstein


Lithuania


Luxembourg


Malta


Moldova


Monaco


Netherlands


North Macedonia


Norway


Poland


Portugal


Romania


Russia


San Marino


Serbia


Slovakia


Slovenia


Spain


Sweden


Switzerland


Turkey


Ukraine


United Kingdom


South-East Asia


Bangladesh


Bhutan


India


Indonesia


Maldives


Nepal


Sri Lanka


Thailand


Western Pacific


Australia


Brunei Darussalam


Cambodia


China


Hong Kong


Japan


Macau


Malaysia


New Zealand


Philippines


Republic of Korea


Singapore


Taiwan


Vietnam


(source )

According to www.worldometers.info/coronavirus many people also recovered from CoronaVirus infection. 



Symptoms

The following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.

Fever

Cough

Shortness of breath

(source)


How does Coronavirus spread? 


The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.


Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).


Respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.


These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. 

(source)


Who is at risk

People most at risk of getting the virus are those who have:

recently traveled overseas, particularly to high-risk countries.

been in close contact with someone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19.

Based on case studies of coronaviruses, other people most at risk of serious infection are :

people with compromised immune systems (such as people who have cancer)elderly people.

people with chronic medical conditions.

people in group residential settings.

people in detention facilities.

very young children and babies.

At this stage the risk to children and babies, and the role children play in the transmission of COVID-19, is not clear. However, there has so far been a low rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases among children, relative to the broader population. (source)


Prevention 

Prevention


There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19). The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.

But we can take some preventive measures to protect ourselves. 


Clean your hands often-


Clean your hands


Wash your hands often with soap or Hand Wash for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

If soap or Hand Wash is not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.



Avoid close contact- 

Avoid close contact


Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community.

This is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

Stay at home- 


Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care.

Learn what to do if you are sick. 

Avoid going to any crowded place.


Cover coughs and sneezes-




Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow. Throw used tissues in the trash.

Immediately wash your hands with soap or use sanitizer.

Wear a facemask


 You should wear a facemask when you are around other people when you are sick.  

If you are not sick then wear a facemask was caring for someone who is sick (and they are not able to wear a facemask). 

Wear facemask while you are going out of your home or in any crowded place. 


Clean and disinfect-

Clean and disinfect your home frequently, clean all touched surfaces of your residence daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, sinks, etc.

If surfaces are dirty, clean them. Use detergent, soap, and disinfectants to clean.


Wash your clothes regularly- 

Wash your clothes regularly especially those you wear outside with detergent and disinfectants. 

Take medical assistance if you are sick- 

Stay home if you feel unwell. 

If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention, and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.

Stay informed and follow the advice given by your healthcare provider-
Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19. 

Follow the advice given by your healthcare provider, your national and local public health authority or your employer on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

(Source-1) (Source-2)

This is a time of crisis throughout the world as coronavirus spreads like pandemic but we shouldn't panic. We should take all the preventive measures to protect ourselves. 

Thanks and Regards

Allimagegreetings team