Coronavirus: A Brief Understanding | Coronavirus: Symptoms and Preventions

History of Corona Virus:-

COVID-19 pandemic, also known as coronavirus pandemic, is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

This outbreak was identified in Wuhan (a city of China) in Dec-2019. The WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30th Jan-2020, and a pandemic on 11th Mar-2020.

COVID-19 is an acronym that stands for Corona Virus Disease of 2019

Symptoms:

Corona Virus affects different ways. And it was found that most of the people develop mild to moderate illness and recover without being hospitalize.

Common Symptoms

Less Common Symptoms

Serious Symptoms:

· Fever.

· Tiredness.

· Dry cough.

· Sore throat.

· Conjunctivitis.

· Loss of taste or smell.

· Aches and pains.

· Diarrhea.

· Headache.

· A rash on skin, or discoloration of fingers or toes.

·Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.

· Loss of speech or movement.

· Chest pain or pressure.

On an average it takes 5–6 days from when someone is infected with the virus for symptoms to show, however it can take up to 14 days.

Diagnosis and Testing:

Usually a patient infected with the COVID-19, identified with the symptoms. Apart from that multiple methods are being developed for the diagnosis of infection. Usually all of the method uses the nucleic acid and protein of the virus. Using Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR) testing of infected secretions or CT imaging of the chest.

As per CDC: Two kinds of tests are available for COVID-19: viral tests and antibody tests.

A viral test for testing current infection.
An antibody test for testing previous infection history.

Prevention:

1) Washing your hands frequently with soap, water for at least 20 seconds, especially after returning from a public place, after using the bathroom, before eating, after coughing, sneezing, blowing nose . Importance of using soap can be easily understood by this article from UNESCO.

2) If soap & water are not available to you, use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser (at least 60% alcohol). How hand sanitizer works can be easily understood with this article.

3) Use Face Mask like N95 Mask (They filter about 95% or more of the small particles), Surgical Mask (they filter large droplets that coming from cough or sneeze), Cloth Mask (Depending on the type of cloth used ).

4) Avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose with hands. A study says that " a potential pandemic can be inhibited by up to 69% by increasing hand hygiene".

5) Avoiding close contact with the people who are sick. Keep recommended distance between people. (i.e. 2 metres or 6 feet is recommended). COVID-19 spreads usually in people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) for a longer duration.

6) Avoiding eating raw or uncooked animal products.

7) Staying at home and working from home if possible. Staying at home will avoid human to human interaction and spread. Gathering at public places increases risk of infection spread.