Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) ||What is it a coronavirus? ||Different types of coronaviruses || What are the symptoms?
Covid-19 is a large group of viruses that consist of a core of genetic material surrounded by a lipid envelope with protein spikes, this gives it the appearance of a crown in Latin is called Corona.
Coronavirus
disease (Covid-19)
What is it a coronavirus coronavirus?
Covid-19
are a large group of viruses they consist of a core of genetic material surrounded
by a lipid envelope with protein spikes, this gives it the appearance of a crown
in Latin is called Corona.
And that's how these viruses get their name
there are Different types of coronaviruses that
Because
illness in animals and humans in humans coronaviruses can cause respiratory
infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases these include
the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus first identified in china in
2003 the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus that was first identified
in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and sars-cov the name of the virus that causes Covid-19
that was first reported in December 2019 so where did this new virus come from its
known that coronaviruses circulate in a range of animals sometimes these
viruses can make the jump from animals to humans this is called spillover and
could be due to a range of factors such as mutations in the virus or increased contact
between humans and animals for example mers-cov is known to be transmitted from
camels and sars-cov from civet cats the animal reservoir of the new corona the virus is not known yet how does the disease spread the disease can spread from person
to person through droplets when an infected person releases those droplets
through coughing talking or sneezing for example when close to another person
it can also spread when infected droplets land on objects and when another person touches them and then touches their eyes nose or mouth
What
are the symptoms?
The
incubation period which is the time taken from exposure to the virus and
development of symptoms is on average five to six days but can range from 1 to
14 days there can be a range of symptoms from very mild to severe some people
may not develop symptoms common symptoms include fever fatigue and respiratory
symptoms such as cough sore throat and shortness of breath some people reported
loss of their sense of taste or smell and some may develop a skin rash in more
severe cases there could be pneumonia organ failure and sometimes death about 80%
of cases recover from the disease without needing special treatment but there
are some people who are at risk of serious Illness they include older people or
people with underlying medical problems such as chronic respiratory disease obesity
diabetes high blood pressure heart disease or cancer how can we tell whether
someone has infected the infection is common.
Diagnosed by a test called to reverse the transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction is generally known as PCR this test
identifies the virus based on its genetic fingerprint there is also a blood
test that can check for antibodies against the virus which may show that
someone was infected in the past how is it treated the treatment for covid-19
is mainly supportive care medicines against the virus are currently under investigation
how do we prevent transmission of the virus there are a number of effective
ways to prevent the spread of the disease include covering your mouth and
nose when coughing or sneezing with a flexed elbow or tissue and throwing the tissue
in a closed bin immediately after use wash hands regularly with soap and water
or an alcohol-based hand rub maintaining at least one-meter distance from
people and the appropriate use of masks and personal protective equipment especially
in health settings, it's important to stay home if you're feeling unwell and to
calla hotline or your medical professional but if you have a fever cough or
difficulty breathing seek medical care early and share your travel history or
contact with someone unwell with your healthcare provider in some areas
governments have implemented specific physical and social distancing measures
to prevent the spread of the outbreak it's important to follow their advice
vaccines to prevent covid-19 are currently under development and scientists
around the world are working hard to make this happen that's a quick look at
this emerging infectious disease we're still learning about this virus every day
and what's known may change.
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