From Its roots in a food market in Wuhan, China from December 2019 to nations and the United States and the Philippines, the virus (officially named COVID-19) has infected tens of thousands, with a rising death toll now over 2,000
But in spite of the panic that is global the news about this virus, you’re unlikely to contract COVID-19 unless you’ve been in contact with someone who’s recently traveled to certain parts of China.
There’s no need to worry about the 2019 coronavirus if you haven’t recently traveled to China or been in contact with someone who’s been diagnosed with the virus.
Read on to learn how this coronavirus is spread, how it’s similar and different from other coronaviruses, and how to prevent spreading it to others you’ve caught this virus if you suspect.
What are the Symptoms of COVID-2019 Coronavirus?
Doctors are learning things that are new about this virus every day. So far we know that COVID-19 may not cause any symptoms initially.
You may carry the virus for 2 days or up to 2 weeks before you notice any symptoms. There has been a special case of finding the virus even after 4 weeks.
Some symptoms that are common have been specifically linked to the 2019 coronavirus include:
feeling short of breath
having a cough that gets more severe over time
A fever that is low-grade gradually increases in temperature
The full list of symptoms is still being investigated.
COVID-19 VS the flu
The symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to that of influenza (flu) virus.
The flu virus is much more common and much more deadly than the 2019 coronavirus.
At least 6.8 percent of people who developed the flu during the 2019–2020 flu season in the United States have died (as of 2020), compared to around 2 percent of those diagnosed with the 2019 coronavirus February.
Here are some common symptoms of a flu infection:
- cough
- runny or nose that is stuffy
- sneezing
- sore throat
- fever
- headache
- fatigue
- chills
- body aches
What causes coronaviruses?
Coronaviruses are zoonotic. This means they first develop in animals before developing in humans.
A person has to come into close contact with an animal that carries the infection for the virus to pass from animal to humans.
Once the virus develops in people, coronaviruses can be spread from person to person through respiratory droplets. This is a name that is technical the wet stuff that moves through the air when you cough or sneeze.
The material that is viral out in these droplets and can be breathed into the respiratory tract (your windpipe and lungs), where the virus can then lead to an infection.
The 2019 coronavirus hasn’t been definitively linked to an animal that is specific.
But researchers believe that the virus might have been passed from bats to another animal — either snakes or pangolins — and then transmitted to humans. This transmission likely occurred in the food that is open in Wuhan, China.
How are coronaviruses diagnosed?
The 2019 coronavirus can be diagnosed similarly to other infections that are viral using a blood, saliva, or tissue sample. In the United States, only the CDC currently has the ability to diagnose an infection that is COVID-19.
Talk to your doctor right away if you’ve traveled to China in the past 14 days if you think you have a coronavirus infection, especially. Your doctor will speak to local health that is public to provide guidance on whether testing for the virus is needed.
A lab technician will either draw a sample of a needle to your blood or use a cotton swab to take a small sample of saliva or respiratory secretions from your nose or the back of your throat.
The sample is then sent to a testing facility to confirm the presence of viral material or antibodies that respond to the virus.
What treatments are available for Coronavirus?
There’s currently no treatment specifically approved for the 2019 coronavirus, and no cure for an infection, although treatments and vaccines are currently under study. Instead, treatment focuses on managing symptoms as the virus runs its course.
Seek immediate medical help if you think you have COVID-19. Your doctor will recommend treatment for any symptoms or complications that develop.
Other coronaviruses like SARS and MERS do have vaccines and treatments. Some treatments for these similar viruses include:
- antiviral or retroviral medications
- breathing support like mechanical ventilation
- steroids to reduce lung swelling
- blood plasma transfusions
What are the possible complications from COVID-19?
The most serious complication of COVID-19 is a type of pneumonia that’s been called 2019 novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia (NCIP).
Results from a 2020 study of 138 people admitted into hospitals in Wuhan, China with NCIP found that 26 percent of those admitted had severe cases and needed to be treated in the care that is intensive (ICU).
About 4.3 percent of these social people who were admitted to the ICU died from this type of pneumonia.
So far, NCIP is the complication that is only linked to the 2019 coronavirus. But researchers have seen the complications that are following people who have developed a coronavirus:
- Acute distress that is respiratory (ARDS)
- Irregular(arrhythmia that is heartbeat cardiovascular shock
- severe muscle pain (myalgia)
- fatigue
- Heart
- heart damage or heart attack
How to prevent coronaviruses?
The way that is best to prevent the spread of this virus is to avoid or limit contact with people who are showing symptoms of the virus and have traveled to China in the past 14 days.
The next thing that is best you can do is practice good hygiene to prevent bacteria and viruses from spreading.
- Wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds at the right time with warm water and soap.
- Don’t touch your face, eyes, nose, or mouth when your hands are dirty.
- Don’t go out if you’re feeling sick or have any cold or flu symptoms.
- Cover the inside to your mouth of your elbow whenever you sneeze or cough.
- Throw away any tissues you use to blow your sneeze or nose right away.
- Keep any objects you touch a complete lot clean. Use disinfectants on objects like phones, computers, utensils, dishware, and door handles.
Other species of coronaviruses
A coronavirus gets its name from the real way it looks under a microscope.
The word corona means “crown,” and when examined closely, the round virus has a crown that is called peplomers jutting out from its center in every direction. The virus is helped by these proteins to identify whether it can infect its host.
The condition known as severe respiratory that is acute (SARS) was also linked to a highly infectious coronavirus back in the early 2000s. The SARS virus has since been found and contained to be successfully treatable.
