COVID-19
Covid-19
What is Corona Virus or COVID-19?
So the whole family of Corona Viruses are named Corona Virus because corona means crown, and so this refers to the way that the virus looks under the microscope like there’s a crown on the top of the virus. Some of them, four of five different kinds, cause common diseases among humans, everything from the common cold to mild or moderate respiratory illnesses. Other kinds of coronaviruses affect animals, and sometimes, on rare occasions, we see coronaviruses jump from animal species into the human population.
Why is Corona Virus getting so much attention?
The 2019 novel coronavirus is getting a lot of attention now because it
is a new kind of coronavirus we haven’t seen among humans before. The theory is
that it may have jumped from an animal species into the human population, and
then begun spreading. We have seen some people that have died of this disease,
and we know that there are already thousands of cases. So people are concerned because we don’t yet know exactly how severe the disease will be or how far it
will spread.
How does Corona Virus spread?
When a new virus emerges, we often have to learn much more about it, and
one of the things that we question is: -
How does it transmit from person to person?
We know that most respiratory viruses are spread by large droplets that come out when people cough and sneeze, and stay aloft usually for about six feet in front of them. They land on surfaces, and then can also be transmitted between person to person by touching those surfaces, such as doorknobs or other surfaces.Other viruses can spread in the air and stay aloft for a longer period of time small droplet nuclei. For this current 2019 Coronavirus, we’re not yet sure whether it is droplet or airborne transmission, so we’re erring on the side of caution and taking protection as if it was spread by the airborne route.
Is the corona Virus disease (COVID-19) dangerous?
Should we worry about our family and us?
We’re still learning a lot about this 2019 novel coronavirus, to understand how dangerous it might be. Right now, the majority of the cases are in United States, Brazil, India, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and many more. We know that some travelers have brought the virus to other countries. I think one of the things to keep in mind is that this is respiratory virus season, and we have other respiratory viruses like Influenza that we need to take precautions because we know we have thousands of cases and thousands of deaths in this country every year from Influenza.
Is it safe to travel while this Corona Virus disease (COVID-19) is spreading?
Given the ongoing transmission of
the virus in China, we have a travel alert that was issued by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. So at this time, until we know more, avoid non-essential
travel to another country.
How can anyone avoid getting the Corona Virus disease (COVID-19)?
World Health Organisation (WHO) across the nation are busy
right now preparing to safely identify isolate, evaluate, and care for patients
with the 2019 novel coronavirus. We have the capability of doing this safely by
utilizing personal protective equipment, by implementing travel screenings so
that we can quickly identify patients who have risk factors for the disease,
and then implementing isolation precautions, the use of personal protective
equipment, and other measures to make sure that we limit the spread of the
virus.
