What is Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
- Coronaviruses are a type of virus.
- COVID-19 is the disease caused by the new coronavirus that emerged in China from Wuhan in December 2019.
- Its symptoms include cough, fever, and shortness of breath.
- COVID-19 can be severe, and some cases have caused death.
- The new coronavirus can be spread from person to person.
- There is no coronavirus vaccine yet. It is diagnosed with a laboratory test.
- Prevention involves frequent hand-washing and staying home when you are sick.
- Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause disease in animals.
How did the coronavirus start?
COVID-19 appeared in Wuhan, a city in China, in December 2019. The source of the coronavirus is believed to be a "wet market" in Wuhan which sold both dead and live animals including fish and birds.
Such markets pose a heightened risk of viruses jumping from animals to humans because hygiene standards are difficult to maintain if live animals are being kept and butchered on-site.
On the other hand, various crazy conspiracy theories have been circulating that the virus somehow escaped from a Chinese lab, either by accident or design.
However, this is categorically untrue and scientists studying its genetic code have linked it to bats. It probably then jumped to another animal, which passed it on to humans. Bats are host to a wide range of zoonotic viruses including Ebola, HIV, and rabies
The number of diseases crossing from animals to humans is growing, and teams of virus hunters are tracking them down.
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How many people have died from coronavirus?
The new coronavirus (Covid-19) is spreading fast. More than 156,700 people are known to be infected and over 5,800 deaths have been recorded - including 21 people in the UK who were diagnosed with the virus.
The vast majority of cases are in China, but the virus has spread to more than 100 other countries.
The bulk of cases and fatalities have been confined to China, but the virus is spreading internationally.
According to data from the Chinese authorities, around 80 percent of cases of the disease are mild, but 20 percent require hospitalization.
How many cases of coronavirus in the US?
About 2,952 people in the U.S. have been confirmed to have the virus, though many other cases may be undetected. Of those reported cases, 57 people have died, with deaths in
- Washington (40),
- California (5),
- Florida (3),
- New York (2),
- Georgia (1),
- Kansas (1),
- New Jersey (1),
- Colorado (1),
- Louisiana (1),
- South Dakota (1)
- and Virginia (1).
(Globally, about 156,400 cases have been confirmed, with 5,833 deaths.)
Data Collected From Livescience.com till date 15 march, 2020.
How many cases of coronavirus in all over the world?
Total coronavirus cases:
- 376 in California, including 204 in the Bay Area
- 2,952 in the U.S., including 57 deaths: 5 in California, 40 in Washington state, 3 in Florida, 2 in New York, 1 in New Jersey, 1 in Georgia, 1 in Kansas, 1 in Colorado, 1 in Louisiana, 1 in Virginia and 1 in South Dakota
- More than 156,400 in the world and more than 5,800 deaths. More than 73,000 have recovered
What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
Initial symptoms include
- fever,
- dry cough,
- tiredness and
- a general feeling of being unwell.
How the coronavirus spreads and how to protect yourself?
Like cold and flu bugs, the virus is spread via droplets when a person coughs or sneezes. The droplets land on surfaces and are picked up on the hands of others and spread further. People catch the virus when they touch their infected hands to their mouth, nose or eyes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has these suggestions:
- Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects people frequently touch.
It follows that the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself is to keep your hands clean by washing them frequently with soap and water or a hand sanitizing gel.
Regular hand washing is considered the most important precaution to reduce the chances of contamination from the virus lingering on surfaces.
The spread of this new coronavirus is being monitored by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization and health organizations like Johns Hopkins across the globe. On Jan. 30, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency.
How long does coronavirus last?
A new study suggests the virus can live on surfaces for up to 3 days.
Potentially several hours, or even days, according to a preprint published this week by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, Princeton, and the University of California, Los Angeles.
The researchers exposed various materials to the virus in the lab. They found that it remained virulent on surfaces for a lengthy period: from up to 24 hours on cardboard to up to two or three days on plastic and stainless steel.
A new analysis found that the virus can remain viable in the air for up to 3 hours, on copper for up to 4 hours, on cardboard up to 24 hours and on plastic and stainless steel up to 2 to 3 days. However, this study, which was published in the preprint database medRxiv on Wednesday (March 11), has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Can the virus that causes COVID-19 to be transmitted through the air?
Studies to date suggest that the virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets rather than through the air. (Data from the World Health Organization)
Where is the disease now?
As well as being reported in China, the disease is now in more than 80 countries around the world, including popular south-east Asian holiday destinations such as Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Italy has also seen a large number of cases, leading the authorities to impose a lockdown in the north of the country.
The disease has also spread to the Middle East, with Iran particularly affected.
How serious is the disease?
According to data on the first 44,000 cases released by the Chinese authorities, 80 percent of cases are mild.
In roughly 14 percent of cases, the virus causes severe disease, including pneumonia, and shortness of breath. In about five percent of patients, it is critical, leading to respiratory failure, septic shock, and multiple organ failure.
According to the WHO, the death rate in Wuhan is two to four percent, whereas in the rest of China and the world it is around 0.7 percent.
It is unclear why the death rate is higher in Wuhan, but it may be because the health services there have been overwhelmed by patients. Men are more likely to have a severe form of the disease, as are people with underlying conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
How is COVID-19 diagnosed?
Diagnosis may be difficult with only a physical exam because mild cases of COVID-19 may appear similar to the flu or a bad cold. A laboratory test can confirm the diagnosis.
Does COVID-19 cause death?
As of Mar. 14, 2020, 5,789 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19. However, 72,587 people have recovered from the illness. This information comes from the Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases map developed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
There is no specific treatment, early results seem promising but, until full clinical trials have been concluded, doctors cannot be certain that the drugs are effective.
Not yet. To date, there is no vaccine and no specific antiviral medicine to prevent or treat COVID-2019. However, those affected should receive care to relieve symptoms. People with serious illnesses should be hospitalized. Most patients recover thanks to supportive care.
Possible vaccines and some specific drug treatments are under investigation. They are being tested through clinical trials. WHO is coordinating efforts to develop vaccines and medicines to prevent and treat COVID-19.
The most effective ways to protect yourself and others against COVID-19 are to frequently clean your hands, cover your cough with the bend of elbow or tissue, and maintain a distance of at least 1 meter (3 feet) from people who are coughing or sneezing.
Only wear a mask if you are ill with COVID-19 symptoms (especially coughing) or looking after someone who may have COVID-19.
The disposable face mask can only be used once. If you are not ill or looking after someone who is ill then you are wasting a mask.
There is a world-wide shortage of masks, so WHO urges people to use masks wisely.
WHO advises the rational use of medical masks to avoid unnecessary wastage of precious resources and misuse of masks.
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