The New Year 2020 has brought with itself a new challenge to the humankind- the pandemic Coronavirus. The world is now obsessed with Coronavirus tips to protect themselves, Coronavirus symptoms and Coronavirus maps that show the affected regions.
This article has all the necessary information related to the disease, its causes, its preventive methods and more. Continue reading the article to get to know more.
View: Coronavirus Map
Table of Contents
What is Coronavirus?
To begin with, Coronavirus hails from a large family of viruses. Some strains of these viruses cause mild to severe respiratory diseases in human beings. Others cause common colds and mild flues.
The viruses are zoonotic in nature. That means that the viruses spread from animals to humans. However, much has not been known about its effect on animals. Structurally, the coronaviruses have spiky projections on their outer surfaces. Those projections resemble that of a crown or corona in Latin. As a result, they have the characteristic name.
A strain of the virus, named SARS-CoV caused the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) pandemic in Asia in 2003.
Another strain, MERS-CoV caused the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) pandemic in South Korea in 2015.
Recently, a new strain of the virus, the novel Coronavirus, termed as the SARS-CoV-2 has created a pandemic called the COVID-19 or the Coronavirus Disease 2019. Till date, over 100 countries are affected. They include China (where the first case originated), India, United States, European Countries (the new epicentre) and many others.
Being zoonotic in nature, several of the viruses use animals as their hosts. Some have evolved to infect humans too. Till date, these viruses have been found in bats. The SARS jumped from the bats to civets. In the case of MERS, these viruses infected camels before humans.
According to studies, the recent strain might have originated from Bats, Pangolins being the intermediate hosts.
What is Covid-19?
With the advent of the new strain of the Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, Covid-19 has created a pandemic. The Covid-19 (Covid-19) or the Coronavirus disease 19 is the name given to the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2.
History
The first known case of the disease originated in Wuhan, Hubei, China. According to Chinese records (unconfirmed), the patient (55y/m) first fell ill on 17th November 2019 with unknown pneumonia. A gradual rise in the number of such cases was seen over the next few days till 31st December.
As the virus is zoonotic in nature, it is believed to have originated from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China.
Covid-19 | Mode of Spread
As the disease is relatively new, much hasn’t been known about its spread. However, the following are some of the known methods of propagation.
The Coronavirus spreads man to man mainly through the droplets. The droplets are formed when a person sneezes or coughs. With the spread of the droplets in the air, the virus spreads. Other modes of propagation are not yet found.
The virus is found to survive outside the body of the host. According to The Journal of Hospital Infection,
“Human coronaviruses can remain infectious on inanimate surfaces at room temperature for up to 9 days. At a temperature of 30°C or more, the duration of persistence is shorter. Veterinary coronaviruses have been shown to persist even longer for 28 d. Contamination of frequent touch surfaces in healthcare settings is, therefore, a potential source of viral transmission”.
So to conclude, the viruses can remain infectious for up to 9 hours outside a host. Thus, until now, the modes of spreads discovered are:
- By droplets in air formed when a person coughs and sneezes.
- By touching contaminated surfaces, objects in public places and then touching the face, nose and eyes.
- Not only the infected, but the disease might also be spread from someone who has symptoms.
Read the Coronavirus Symptoms and the Coronavirus Tips below.
Coronavirus Symptoms | Symptoms of Covid-19
Being zoonotic in nature, the virus spreads from animals to humans. The modes of spread are mentioned above. Below are the symptoms that appear or might appear if someone has been infected.
Viruses cause typical respiratory infections in humans. Symptoms might range from severe to high flu and cold.
Most Common Symptoms
- Fever
- Dry cough (new and continuous)
- Fatigue or Tiredness
Other Common Symptoms
- Aches, pains and spasms in body parts
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Upset Stomach and Diarrhea
The symptoms occur gradually but become more and more intense with time.
People with already weak immunity, old age (60 or above), diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, cancer and other underlying medical issues are more vulnerable.
These were the Coronavirus Symptoms. Below are the Coronavirus Tips to prevent yourself and others from getting infected.
Coronavirus Tips | How to Protect Yourself
As mentioned earlier, the virus spreads mainly by through the hand on touching contaminated surfaces. Also, droplets formed by cough and sneeze are a source of virus transmission.
However, below are some Coronavirus tips that have been acknowledged internationally and by WHO. Follow these tips to protect yourselves from the infection. Share these tips so that everyone can stay safe.
- Firstly, always wash your hands. Before eating, after visiting the toilet, coming back home from work, sneezing and coughing, and so on.
Maintaining proper hand hygiene is very necessary. Use soap water to clean your hands. Wash for at least 20-25 seconds. Alternatively, hand sanitizers and alcohol-based hand rubs can be used.
- Always Maintain at least 1-metre distance from someone who has a cold, cough or fever. Maintain distance from someone who you know is not well or shows the symptoms mentioned above.
- Secondly, Do not touch your face, eyes or nose with unwashed hands.
- Always cover your mouth while sneezing or coughing. Use a handkerchief or tissue. Promptly dispose off the tissue in a closed waste bin after use. Alternatively, cover your mouth with a flexed elbow while sneezing or coughing.
- Stay at home. If you feel unwell, have fever, cough or other symptoms, stay at home. Use a mask to cover your face if it is absolutely necessary to go out.
- Medical help if conditions persist or worsen.
- Follow Travel Advice suggested by the Government and Authorities.
- Contact Local Authority if you have recently visited an infected region.
- Stay informed about the disease through reliable sources such as:
World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. - Restrain from spreading and believing rumours.
Please use masks only if you are infected or have symptoms. Healthy people need not wear masks. Masks are scarce now. Patients, Health professionals, infected, children and older people need it more.
These are the Coronavirus tips that can help prevent the spread of the infection. Share them with as many people you can so that they can benefit.
View the Coronavirus Map below.
Coronavirus Map
The pandemic Covid-19 has affected over 100 countries. Below is a map portraying the affected areas.
(The coronavirus map is subject to change as the disease progresses)
Live Updates
Conclusion
The pandemic Coronavirus has spread over hundreds of nations, affecting over 2,28,000 globally. This article covered essential points such as Coronavirus tips, Coronavirus symptoms and provided a brief idea of Covid-19 and the virus. Last but not least, always be conscious and look after one another. There is no need to panic.
According to WHO, “Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment”.
Act responsibly. Be positive. Care for others. The entire world is fighting together this time.
Image courtesy: Unsplash, Pixabay, Wikipedia
