Cause:
Coronavirus belongs to a large family of viruses that causes illness in human beings and animals.
The formerly discovered coronaviruses were MERS and SARS. The newly discovered coronavirus is COVID-19.
19 refers to the outbreak of the disease in 2019
Symptoms:
- Fever
- Tiredness
- Sore throat
- Diarrhoea
- Runny nose
- Dry Cough
- Shortness of breath (SOB)
- Pneumonia (If Severe)
Around 1 out of every 6 people become seriously ill especially geriatrics and people already prone to some other disease
Transmission:
The disease spreads from person to person through contact with the infected person or a person who is a carrier for that virus
The spreads are mainly through the infected person who coughs or exhales the droplets. These droplets carry the virus which land on objects and surfaces or if they are near a healthy person can directly infect the. That’s why it is important to stay more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from a person who is sick.
Studies suggest that coronavirus may persist on surfaces for a few hours up to several days depending upon the temperature, humidity and surface
The incubation period:
The incubation period is something not everybody know but are curious about, it is the time between catching the virus and beginning to have symptoms of the disease. Studies suggest the incubation period for COVID-19 range from 1-14 days, most commonly around 5 days
Prevention:
- Regularly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand wash or soap and water
- Maintain distance with everyone for about 1 meter, because you never know who is infected
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth, because hands can pick up viruses and can transmit it inside your body
- Stay home
- Keep yourself isolated, stay home if you feel unwell
- Only wear a mask if you’re going out or coming in contact with people. There is a worldwide shortage of masks, use masks wisely. Disposable masks can be only used once
Is COVID-19 airborne:
The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks. These droplets are too heavy to hang in the air, therefore, you can be infected by breathing in the virus if you are within 1 metre of a person who has COVID-19 or by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth before cleaning your hands.
Treatment:
FDA is working government agencies and academic centres that are investigating the use of the drug chloroquine, which is already approved for treating malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, to determine whether it can be used to treat patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 to potentially reduce the duration of symptoms, as well as viral shedding, which can help prevent the spread of disease. Studies are underway to determine the efficacy of using chloroquine to treat COVID-19.
Innovators are looking at drugs in a variety of areas, including the use of antiviral drugs that might treat the specific virus, as well as host targets, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor inhibitors that may help reduce lung inflammation and improve lung function in COVID-19 patients, thereby potentially slowing the progression of severe respiratory symptoms.
References:
Bilal Khan
Dual professionally qualified Chartered Accountant, academic mentor to 500+ students worldwide, life coach, and entrepreneur. Passionate about helping individuals grow professionally, academically, and personally.
