A General Overview About Novel Coronavirus

The contagion of the novel coronavirus has been on a steady rise since December 2019, and has created panic among people resulting in short supply of hand sanitizers and face masks. There is no need to panic and a better understanding of different aspects about it will help to defeat the spread with logical and practical measures. Shared below are some facts about coronavirus and the disease COVID-19.

What Is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the virus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is considered to be a zoonotic disease that can easily spread infection from animals to humans.  Bats are its natural hosts, but it is also found in several other species. The current coronavirus originated in bats, then jumped into a pangolin and finally arrived in humans through close contact. Besides, this strain of virus has not been previously identified in humans.

What Is The Mortality Rate?

COVID-19 has a lower mortality rate than SARS-CoV-1 virus that caused the SARS outbreak in 2002. The cause of worry for coronavirus is that there is no vaccine and no specific treatment for it. Because it is a novel virus for humans, everyone is susceptible to get infected as we do not have immunity against it. Besides, compared to seasonal influenza it has a higher mortality rate and this is higher among older people. However, in children the disease appears to be mild and rare.

What Are The Symptoms Of COVID-19 Infection?

The symptoms are flu like fever, cough, cold, sore throat, tiredness, muscle pain and breathing difficulty. However, in severe cases it causes pneumonia, sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome and septic shock leading to death.

How Does COVID-19 Spread?

The mode of transmission of coronavirus is through respiratory droplets from people when they sneeze, cough or exhale. What makes it more spreadable is that the virus can survive for many hours on exposed surfaces. Once this accidentally comes in contact with our body and enters it, the incubation period is 2 to 14 days. This infected individual can easily spread to 2 or 3 more people. Ironically some infected people show no or only mild symptoms.

How To Prevent COVID-19 Infection?

You can use a facemask as a preventive measure, but it should also be combined with regular hand wash with soap and water as well as using alcohol based hand sanitizer. You should best avoid touching your face with unwashed hands. Also, you should maintain a distance of 1 metre or more from infected people or those who are coughing or sneezing. Above all, you must cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing. It is also good to use facemasks when you sneeze or cough as that will help to keep the ones around you safe. Visit hdfacemask.com if you want to purchase masks easily without going out in this situation.