The 2019 coronavirus started in the city of Wuhan in China’s Hubei province with the first reported case coming to light on 8 December. Since then the virus has spread to a total of 60 countries and territories around the world. The latest tally on the COVID-2019 is 85,678 cases reported; 2,933 known deaths; 39,659 recovered; 43,086 active cases, of which 35,268 are mild cases and 7,818 are serious or critical.
Most of the infections (79,257) and deaths (2835) were in China, mainly in Wuhan, the alleged epicenter of the infection, followed by South Korea, which has so far reported 3,150 infections and 17 deaths. Italy with 889 infections and 21 deaths; Iran with 593 infections and 43 deaths and Japan with 240 infections and 5 deaths are the top-five countries impacted by the virus so far. Other countries have reported infections of less than100 and deaths were reported in single digits from just four more countries — Hong Kong and France with two deaths each and Taiwan and the Philippines with one mortality each.
The fatality rate for COVID-19 has been tentatively placed between 2 and 3 percent. In comparison, the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) had a case fatality rate of around 10 percent (8098 cases and 774 deaths), while Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) killed 34 percent of people with the illness between 2012 and 2019 (2494 cases and 858 deaths). Despite the lower case fatality rate, COVID-19 appears to have resulted in more deaths than SARS and MERS combined. But to put this in context, so far in this flu season in the United States alone there have been nearly 30 million cases of flu and 17,000 reported deaths.
So what exactly is this coronavirus? The new COVID-19 disease is caused by a coronavirus, which belongs to a large family of viruses that cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as MERS, which first appeared in 2012 in Saudi Arabia and SARS that was initially reported from in China in 2002. The most recently discovered coronavirus causes the coronavirus disease COVID-19.
The term ‘corona’ was given to this family of viruses, as under the microscope they appear in the form of a blob surrounded by spikes that mimic the image of a crown (corona). Initially, there was confusion surrounding the naming as the medical fraternity and media were using terms interchangeably, ranging from coronavirus, 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV-2019) and covid-2019.
For the record, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially named the new coronavirus on 11 February as SARS-CoV-2 and the disease the virus causes in people as COVID-19. To rephrase, SARS-CoV-2 causes covid-19, in the same way that HIV causes AIDS or the rubeola virus causes the common measles. This name was chosen for the virus because it is genetically related to the coronavirus responsible for the SARS outbreak of 2002.
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations have shown that SARS-CoV virus responsible for SARS was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV virus responsible for MERS was transmitted from dromedary camels to humans; the animal origins of COVID-19 are as yet unknown.
Lack of understanding on the transmission pattern, its severity, clinical features and risk factors for COVID-19 has limited the ability to contain its spread or find treatment options. New information about COVID-19 is coming to light on a daily basis, and the more researchers learn, the more the virus appears to be similar, but not the same, as other respiratory infections that circulate in the community.
Common signs of infection from COVID-19 include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. People are known to catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales.
The droplets from cough or sneeze land on objects and surfaces around the infected person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Studies to date suggest that the virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets rather than through the air. This is why it is important to stay more than 1 meter away from a person who is sick.
If you are not in an area where COVID-19 is spreading, or if you have not travelled from one of those areas or have not been in close contact with someone who has and is feeling unwell, your chances of getting it are currently low. Studies have also shown that the vast majority of people who get COVID-19 have a self-limited illness. They and their families can look after them in their own home, and they will recover on their own. Generally health experts say that people who feel unwell remain at home and follow directions of local health authorities.
However, it is understandable that you may feel stressed and anxious about the prevailing situation, especially if you are living in an area where there is an outbreak of COVID-19. You need to take the risk of infection seriously and seek immediate medical attention if you have fever, cough or difficulty breathing. This is especially so in the case of people who are over the age of 70, are very young, have compromised immune systems, or have pre-existing medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes.
Precautions recommended by the WHO and health experts to avoid infection from the virus include:
Washing hands: Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water as alcohol and soap are known to kill viruses on your hands.
Maintaining distance: Maintain at least 1 metre distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.
Avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth: Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.
Practicing respiratory hygiene: Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose wi
Myths, hypes and COVID-19
The public response to COVID-19 has ranged from extreme panic to nonchalance and snake-oil salesmen on social media platforms have attempted to reap profit from the panic. A whole bunch of medicines and remedies are being purveyed on the Internet to gullible folks. Just so, you do not fall victim to their sales pitch and products, here are a few guidelines on what works and what does not.
For starters, garlic, sesame oil, aloe vera and a host of other plant-based herbs, oils, potions and pills do not dent the virus. To date, there are no specific medicines being recommended to prevent or treat the new coronavirus, nor are there vaccines developed for treating COVID-19. The WHO and other healthcare institutions around the world are still working on finding a vaccine for the infection.
Since the virus is new with unique characteristics, it requires its own vaccine. So vaccines against pneumonia, such as pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccine, do not provide protection against the new virus. Although these vaccines are not effective against the virus, vaccination against respiratory illnesses is highly recommended to protect your health.
For that matter, antibiotics are also ineffective against the new virus. Antibiotics are meant to treat bacterial infection, they are futile against viruses. COVID-19 is a virus and antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment. However, if you are hospitalized forCOVID-19, you may receive antibiotics because bacterial co-infection is possible.
The antiviral drugs generally used against the common flu also do not work against the new virus. Recovery from COVI-19 infection appears to depend on the strength of the person’s immune system. Many of those who have died were already in poor health or had compromised immune systems.
Face masks generally used by many people are also not a protection against viral infections. Experts recommend using a face mask if you have respiratory symptoms like coughing or sneezing, to protect others as it helps prevent droplets containing any type of virus, including the flu, from spreading to others.
Currently, there is no evidence that COVID-19, can be transmitted from soft surfaces like fabric or carpet to humans. It is possible that the virus could be on frequently-touched surfaces, such as a doorknob, although according to information from the WHO, viral particles would be likely to survive for just a few hours on soft material.
Also, hand dryers are not effective in killing the new virus. To protect yourself against the new coronavirus, you should frequently clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Once your hands are cleaned, you should dry them thoroughly by using paper towels or a warm air dryer.
Thermal scanners used in many countries at border entry points are effective in detecting people who have developed a fever (i.e. have a higher than normal body temperature) because of infection with the new coronavirus. However, they cannot detect people who are infected but are not yet sick with fever. This is because it takes between 2 and 14 days before people who are infected become sick and develop a fever.
There is no evidence that pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus. However, it is always a good idea to wash your hands with soap and water after contact with pets. This protects you against various common bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella that can pass between pets and humans.
Some bleach- and chlorine-based disinfectants can kill the new virus on hard surfaces, but they have little or no impact on the virus if you put them on the skin or under your nose. Putting on these chemicals could burn or otherwise harm your skin.
The WHO has recommended that those infected with the virus should receive appropriate care to relieve and treat symptoms, and those with severe illness should receive optimized supportive care. Treatment for the new virus is therefore largely supportive, which means giving fluids, medicine to reduce fever, and, in severe cases, supplemental oxygen. People who become critically ill from COVID-19 may need a respirator to help them breathe.
The WHO said that it is helping accelerate research and development efforts with a range of partners to find specific treatment for the new virus, which will then have to be clinically tested before being administered to patients.
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