WHAT IS COVID-2019?

As of today, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-2019 has reached nearly 8.5 lakh, which resulted in the death of 40K people in and around the world. Till now, almost 206 countries are affected by the virus, and the number of cases is rising day by day. The number of people who recovered from this virus is around 2 lakh.

Coronavirus is an infectious virus that causes disease in animals, and now some of its forms have jumped to infect humans. 

COVID-19 is similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS), which can infect around 80% of cases leading to mild infections. And many cases might also be asymptomatic, and thus it is becoming so difficult to control it.

The blame game has already started between the US and China. Still, as of now, Scientists believe that the source of the virus to be a Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, Hubei province in China, which sold dead and live animals. Scientists are still not able to find the animal source of COVID-19, but the original host is said to be bats. Bats were not sold in the market but might have infected live animals in the market. And as it is tough to maintain hygiene in such markets, the virus spreads from this market to humans.

Some of the major highlights of the spread are

• Pneumonia of unknown cause was first reported to the WHO in China on 31 December 2019.
• Then the outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020.
• On 11 February 2020, the WHO recognized the virus as pandemic and announced a name for the new coronavirus disease, i.e., COVID – 19, which stands for COronaVIrus Disease 2019.

SYMPTOMS

People may be affected by the virus for 1 to 14 days before showing any visible signs.

Some of the common symptoms are

• Shortness of breath
• Cough which gets more severe over time
• Tiredness
• Fever which gradually increases in temperature

These symptoms can become more severe in some people

• Blue face or lips
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• Excessive drowsiness

WHO IS AT RISK?

In general, people of all ages are at risk from coronavirus, but some people are more vulnerable to becoming severely ill from the virus. These are

• Older people
• People with pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease.

But this doesn’t mean that other people apart from this bracket are safe. Everyone needs to take preventive measures to stay away from the virus.

TRANSMISSION

• Person to person

It’s believed that the leading cause of transmission is from one person to another. 

It can transmit through people coming in close contact with each other.

Through respiratory droplets produced by the already infected person when he coughs or sneezes.

People can also transmit the disease even if they are asymptomatic.

• Contaminated surface

It may be a possibility that the virus can also transmit to a person if he comes in contact with a cover or any object which has been contaminated by the virus and then touches his eyes, mouth, or face.

PREVENTION

Even though scientists are involved in research of coronavirus disease, no vaccine has been developed yet for preventing the disease.

So what we can do best from our side to protect ourselves from the disease and stop it from spreading to others is to follow some guidelines.

• HANDS-Wash your hands regularly for 20 sec with soap or alcohol-based hand wash and water.
• ELBOW-Cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or flexed elbow when you sneeze or cough.
• FACE-Don’t touch your eyes, nose, and mouth if your hands are not clean.
• SPACE- Avoid close contact with people who are ill.
• HOME-Stay at home if you can. And if you don’t feel well, then self isolate yourself from others.

TREATMENT

No specific medicine has been developed yet for preventing or treating COVID-19. These are the steps you can follow according to your symptoms.

Self-care

If you have mild symptoms of COVID-19, stay at home isolated until you have recovered. You can recover if

• Take Rest and sleep well
• Keep yourself warm
• Drink plenty of liquids
• Use a room humidifiers
• Take a hot shower

Medical treatment

If your condition worsens and you have a fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing, then you should go for seeking medical care.

Also, tell them about your recent travel or any last contact with people.