The recent pandemic coronavirus has left the whole world in a devastating situation. Coronavirus or COVID-19 is a virus that causes an infectious disease. The first outbreak of the novel corona originated in China in December 2019. It is said to have emerged from the seafood and meat market in Wuhan in China. There have been debates over the source of coronavirus. Many have suspected it to be a manmade virus and called it a conspiracy by the Chinese govt. as a bio-chemical weapon. No matter what, whatever the rumors are, but health experts are yet to come out with the exact source of it. Nevertheless, it has been spreading like locusts all around the world. At this moment, more than 170 countries have been affected by the outbreak of coronavirus. Also, thousands of cases of deaths have been reported in these countries. Besides, countries like the US, Italy, Spain, the UK, and Iran, etc. have been fighting to resist the increasing number of daily deaths due to coronavirus. More than 5,00,00 people have been infected with the coronavirus. Not only that, but there have also been more than 30,000 cases of death due to this pandemic.
What is coronavirus?
Coronavirus or COVID-19 belongs to a specific type of viruses. SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is also a type of coronaviruses. SARS killed more than 800 people in 2002 and 2003. Also, MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) is another type of coronavirus. The MERS that has emerged in Saudi Arabia has been spreading since 2012 killing more than 900 people. Also, these viruses cause respiratory infections that might be severe or mild. COVID-19 is a little different than these 2 viruses. It is because, in most of the case, there are no symptoms. Also, in some cases, it may appear to be just mild flu. So, it is more difficult to detect and control the spread.
Moreover, these viruses affect the animals first, and then it is spread to humans. Then gradually, it gets transmitted to a large number of people. So, that is the only reason why isolation and quarantine can break the chain of this virus.
How is COVID-19 spread?
COVID-19 is more transmissible than other coronaviruses. It spreads the same way as flu. So, it is through droplets in a cough or sneeze of an infected person. This is the reason, WHO has advised all to maintain a distance of more than 3 feet from one another in a gathering. Moreover, surfaces and objects play a major part in spreading this virus. The coronavirus can live on the surface or object for several hours or days depending on the type of the surface. But, it also depends on the humidity and temperature of the surface. As per the reports, the virus can live on plastic and steel for up to 72 hours, copper 4 hours, and cardboard 24 hours.
So, how is coronavirus spread through the surface? If anyone touches the surface with the droplets, his or her hands pick these droplets. Now, if this person puts their hands on his nose, mouth, or eyes, he gets infected with COVID-19.
Is there an incubation period for COVID-19?
An incubation period is a time between exposure to the virus and starting to get the symptoms. Although, the incubation period of COVID-19 is generally 5 days, in some cases it may be between 1 and 14 days.
What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
Coronavirus has variable symptoms. Even there have been cases, where there were no symptoms. However, the most common symptoms are the same as the flu. One might suffer from fever and dry cough. Also, fatigue is one of the major symptoms. Some might even feel muscle aches and sore throat. Moreover, runny noses and diarrhea can also be seen in some patients. Also, some people might feel nausea. Besides, some can even have blue lips or face and feel pressure in the chest.
All these symptoms might start mildly at first. There have been cases where people have recovered from COVID-19 without any special medical care. But, in case of severity, people might feel shortness of breath. Moreover, coronaviruses can be fatal to aged people especially people with high blood pressure, lung disease, diabetes, and heart problems. Patients with these conditions can face kidney failure and critical respiratory problems that can ultimately lead to death. So, in case of dry cough, fever, and shortness of breath, one should get oneself checked by a doctor urgently.
How can COVID-19 be diagnosed?
In case anyone feels that he or she has the symptoms of COVID-19, he or she should get in touch with a doctor immediately. Your family doctor is the best person to detect if you have COVID-10 based on your medical history. Your doctor might recommend you to get some tests done if he or she suspects to be other medical conditions. In case, the doctor suspects it to be a case of COVID-19, he or she might recommend a test center in your country.
COVID-19 test involves PCR tests. In this case, a swab is collected from a patient’s nose or throat. Then the test is conducted to check the DNA of the coronavirus. But, the main problem with this test is that at times, there can be “false-negative” test outcomes. The reason for this outcome is that the patient might be at the primary stage and so, it is hard to detect the presence of the virus. Also, in some cases, if the patients have no major respiratory syndromes, it is difficult to detect coronavirus. So, for all these reasons, some patients might need to get tested more than once.
There is one more concern when it comes to the COVID-19 test. Not all countries have the same capacity as far as the testing kits and tools are concerned. This may be a reason for the worldwide spread of the disease. Besides, due to the increasing demand for COVID-19 test kits, the doctors have to judge the signs of COVID-19 in the patients to send them for the tests. Their judgment largely depends on the fact of whether the patient has come in contact with a COVID-19 patient in the last 14 days. Also, there is one more factor. That is the epidemiology of COVID-19 in their local areas.
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What is the treatment of coronavirus or COVID-19?
There is no particular treatment, medicine, or vaccine for COVID-19 as of now. COVID-19 patients are given supportive measures to alleviate the symptoms. In the case of mild symptoms, people are advised to take rest. At times, the symptoms disappear on their own. In severe cases, oxygen therapy and blood plasma transfusions are being used effectively. Also, antiviral or retroviral medications and mechanical ventilation are being used. Besides, doctors are using steroids to reduce the swelling of the lungs.
However, a drug called Favilavir has shown good results in treating COVID-19 in 70 patients in China. This drug is now being tested for other patients in Shenzhen in China. Also, the president of the United States, Donald Trump has recently declared a drug called chloroquine to be tested for COVID-19 treatment. This is a treatment drug for malaria and arthritis. This drug has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical testing.
Moreover, Inovio Pharmaceuticals in China plans to begin clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines in April. Besides, there are many other pharmaceutical labs all around the world that have been working in the development of the coronavirus vaccine. I-Mab Biopharma, I-Mab Biopharma, I-Mab Biopharma, Tiziana Life Sciences, and OyaGen, etc. are the names of these companies. Also, many labs have been engaged in the development of the novel coronavirus drugs.
How can you prevent coronavirus?
To fight against coronavirus, we need to make sure that we can stop the transmission of this virus. So, we need to take measures to prevent the spread of the disease. Find below the measures you need to take to prevent coronavirus:
- You need to wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds regularly. Make sure to clean all the parts of your hands, not just the palms. You can also use an alcohol-based sanitizer. Also, make sure to follow this after you touch the elevator buttons, items from outside, and doorknobs in public places. Even make this a practice before eating food at home or before touching your nose, eyes or mouth. This way you will be able to kill the viruses.
- Maintain a distance of a minimum of 6 feet from anyone outside or public places. Thus, you can prevent the transmission of the droplets from infected persons to you.
- Do not touch surfaces in public places. In case you do, wash your hands with soap and water. It is because droplets of the coronavirus stay on the surfaces for hours.
- Try to avoid people who are sick.
- Consult your family doctor immediately if you have a fever, dry cough, or fatigue. Isolate yourself from others if you have any of these symptoms.
- Maintain healthy respiratory hygiene. Always cough or sneeze in the bend of your elbow.
- Avoid social gatherings.
- Try to work from home if possible.
- If you have lung diseases, kidney diseases or heart problems, avoid going out.
- Do not consume raw meat or undercooked meat.
- Avoid direct contact with animals while visiting live animal markets.
- Keep the list of all the COVID-19 testing and treatment centers handy.
- Use a mask in case you have a respiratory problem or not feeling well. The WHO recommends only the health workers and ill people to wear masks due to the shortage of masks.
- Use a disinfectant cleaner or spray to clean objects bought from outside. Also, clean your doorknobs, doorbells, and furniture daily with it.
How did COVID-19 spread throughout the world?
The first man to be infected with COVID-19 was from Wuhan. He was said to have visited the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. His wife who did not visit the market also got the disease after 5 days. This occurred in the 1st week of December last year. It was only in the 2nd week of December, the doctors were able to detect the transmission of the virus after they found new cases. It was not until the 8th of January this year, China claimed that they have found a new virus. But, they still did not confirm the human-to-human transfer. The country reported its first death from the virus on the 11th of January.
Dr. Li Wenliang had informed the Chinese doctors about the possible outbreak of an illness similar to SARS. But he was accused of spreading rumors and his acts were named unlawful by China’s National Health Commission. Then he was made to sign a statement at the police station. He was hospitalized on the 12th of January with fever and cough. His condition was so severe that he had to be put in the ICU.
However, the first case of COVID-19 outside China was a patient in Thailand who had visited Wuhan but she claimed to have not visited the seafood market. Chinese National Health Commission then stated that the virus could still be controlled and prevented. But, just after a day, they confirmed Human-to-human transmission. It was on the 20th of January. Then the first case of COVID-19 in the US was reported on the 21st of January. By this time, many people have visited different countries from China. The first person to have warned about the virus also died of the same disease in February. Had China been more prompt, serious, and careful about the whole thing, the worldwide pandemic would not have occurred.
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Why is coronavirus a pandemic?
A pandemic is a term used for a disease that tends to spread in many countries at the same time. The coronavirus that emerged in the Wuhan in China has now engulfed 199 countries and territories around the world. The community spread of coronavirus has affected these countries within a very short time. So, The WHO has called this a pandemic. The agency had urged all the countries to take proper measures to respond to the outbreaks. It has given several guidelines to fight against the spread of the novel COIVD-19
China has got 81,340 reported cases of COVID-19 and the total number of deaths in the country stands at 3,292.
Italy did not seem to take the pandemic seriously enough at the beginning. So, the country had to pay a heavy price for this. It is reported that there were almost 900 people in the ICU section of the country. It has lost more than 9,000 people and has 86,498 reported cases so far. The country has been witnessing new cases of deaths at an increasing rate for the last 2 weeks. Moreover, the number of death cases is also increasing day by day.
Also, Iran faced an epidemic situation in early March this year. Despite knowing the worldwide breakout of the virus The Iranian Government declared the outbreak of the virus on the 19th of February. The first official announcement of the outbreak of COVID-19 came with the news of deaths. The fatality rate in Iran has been alarming since then. It has reported 32,332 COVID-19 cases and 2,378 deaths to date.
The USA has more than 1, 00,000 cases with a death number of 1,543 as of now. Also, Spain has been hit by the novel corona with 64,059 cases and 4,934 deaths. India witnessed its first case of coronavirus on the 30th of January. Now the country has 878 cases with 20 deaths.
When will coronavirus end?
The spread of coronavirus has been tremendous and non-stop. Most of the countries have gone for a complete lockdown to fight against it. No one knew about coronavirus 3 months back. Now it has damaged the world-economy and health-care system. It has created complete chaos in people’s lives by isolating people from their dear ones. The pandemic which is nothing less than a World War seems not to be in a mood to stop its spread.
Although many books were written to warn about an upcoming virus, no one cared to ponder the issue. At the same time, despite watching other countries getting affected by the fatal virus, some countries did not bother to take enough measures to prevent the outbreak. Suddenly, there is a demand for medical equipment, hospitals, physicians, and proper clinical infrastructure in every country. Now our future depends on how prepared we are to face the impending challenge. Although many companies have been working on the development of the drugs and vaccine for coronavirus, experts believe that this would take another 3to 4 months or even more than that.
Besides, there is no clear endpoint. Some believe that there could be larger outbreaks in the coming months. Also, some are hopeful that there might be some remedy available sooner. As per the researchers, the pandemics in the past lasted between 12 and 36 months. But, again different pandemics might have different impacts and lasting periods as per the type of the viruses. Many experts believe that this pandemic might continue throughout 2020 and can only bring hope in 2021. Yet, it is still difficult to predict anything as of now since a great deal of knowledge and time is needed to study COVID-19. Meanwhile, our future also depends on the decisions we make now. Staying at home and avoiding social gatherings can slow down the spread of coronavirus. So, the least we can do to stop mankind to be wiped off the earth is to follow the guidelines instructed by the health experts.
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