What to know about coronavirus
Coronaviruses are types of viruses that typically affect
the respiratory tracts of birds and mammals, including humans. Doctors
associate them with the common cold, bronchitis, pneumonia, and severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS), and they can also affect the gut.
These viruses are typically responsible for common colds
more than serious diseases. However, coronaviruses are also behind some more
severe outbreaks.
Over the last 70 years, scientists have found that
coronaviruses can infect mice, rats, dogs, cats, turkeys, horses, pigs, and
cattle. Sometimes, these animals can transmit coronaviruses to humans.
Stay informed with live updates on the current COVID-19
outbreak.
Most recently, authorities identified a new coronavirus
outbreak in China that has now reached other countries. It has the name
coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19.
In this article, we explain the different types of human
coronaviruses, their symptoms, and how people transmit them. We also focus on
three particularly dangerous diseases that have spread due to coronaviruses:
COVID-19, SARS, and MERS.
What to know about corona virus |
What is a coronavirus?
Covering the mouth when sneezing may help stop the spread
of coronaviruses.
Researchers first isolated a coronavirus in 1937. They
found a coronavirus responsible for an infectious bronchitis virus in birds
that had the ability to devastate poultry stocks.
Scientists first found evidence of human coronaviruses
(HCoV) in the 1960s in the noses of people with the common cold. Two human
coronaviruses are responsible for a large proportion of common colds: OC43 and
229E.
The name “coronavirus” comes from the crown-like
projections on their surfaces. “Corona” in Latin means “halo” or “crown.”
Among humans, coronavirus infections most often occur
during the winter months and early spring. People regularly become ill with a
cold due to a coronavirus and may catch the same one about 4 months later.
This is because coronavirus antibodies do not last for a
long time. Also, the antibodies for one strain of coronavirus may be
ineffective against another one.
Symptoms
Cold- or flu-like symptoms usually set in from 2–4 days
after a coronavirus infection and are typically mild. However, symptoms vary
from person-to-person, and some forms of the virus can be fatal.
Symptoms include:
·
sneezing
·
runny nose
·
fatigue
·
cough
·
fever in rare cases
·
sore throat
·
exacerbated asthma
Scientists cannot easily cultivate human coronaviruses in
the laboratory unlike the rhinovirus, which is another cause of the common
cold. This makes it difficult to gauge the impact of the coronavirus on
national economies and public health.
There is no cure, so treatments include self-care and
over-the-counter (OTC) medication. People can take several steps, including:
·
resting and avoiding overexertion
·
drinking enough water
·
avoiding smoking and smoky areas
·
taking acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen
for pain and fever
·
using a clean humidifier or cool mist
vaporizer
A doctor can diagnose the virus responsible by taking a
sample of respiratory fluids, such as mucus from the nose, or blood.
Coronaviruses belong to the subfamily Coronavirinae in the
family Coronaviridae.
Different types of human coronaviruses vary in how severe
the resulting disease becomes, and how far they can spread.
Doctors currently recognize seven types of coronavirus
that can infect humans.
Common types include:
229E (alpha coronavirus)
NL63 (alpha coronavirus)
OC43 (beta coronavirus)
HKU1 (beta coronavirus)
Rarer strains that cause more severe complications include
MERS-CoV, which causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and SARS-CoV,
the virus responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
In 2019, a dangerous new strain called SARS-CoV-2 started
circulating, causing the disease COVID-19.
Transmission
Limited research is available on how HCoV spreads from one
person to the next.
However, researchers believe that the viruses transmit via
fluids in the respiratory system, such as mucus.
Coronaviruses can spread in the following ways:
Coughing and sneezing without covering the mouth can
disperse droplets into the air.
Touching or shaking hands with a person who has the virus
can pass the virus between individuals.
Making contact with a surface or object that has the virus
and then touching the nose, eyes, or mouth.
Some animal coronaviruses, such as feline coronavirus (FCoV),
may spread through contact with feces. However, it is unclear whether this also
applies to human coronaviruses.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggest that
several groups of people have the highest risk of developing complications due
to COVID-19. These groups include:
young children
people aged 65 years or older
women who are pregnant
Coronaviruses will infect most people at some time during
their lifetime.
Coronaviruses can mutate effectively, which makes them so
contagious.
To prevent transmission, people should stay at home and
rest while symptoms are active. They should also avoid close contact with other
people.
Covering the mouth and nose with a tissue or handkerchief
while coughing or sneezing can also help prevent transmission. It is important
to dispose of any tissues after use and maintain hygiene around the home.
COVID-19
In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) started monitoring the outbreak of a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which
causes the respiratory illness now known as COVID-19. Authorities first
identified the virus in Wuhan, China.
More than 74,000 people have contracted the virus in
China. Health authorities have identified many other people with COVID-19
around the world, including many in the United States. On January 31, 2020, the
virus passed from one person to another in the U.S.
The World Health Organization (WHO) have declared a public
health emergency relating to COVID-19.
Since then, this strain has been diagnosed in several U.S.
residents. The CDC have advised that it is likely to spread to more people.
COVID-19 has started causing disruption in at least 25 other countries.
The first people with COVID-19 had links to an animal and
seafood market. This fact suggested that animals initially transmitted the
virus to humans. However, people with a more recent diagnosis had no
connections with or exposure to the market, confirming that humans can pass the
virus to each other.
Information on the virus is scarce at present. In the
past, respiratory conditions that develop from coronaviruses, such as SARS and
MERS, have spread through close contacts.
On February 17, 2020, the Director-General of the WHO
presented at a media briefing the following updates on how often the symptoms
of COVID-19 are severe or fatal, using data from 44,000 people with a confirmed
diagnosis:
Stage of severity Rough
percentage of people with COVID-19
Mild disease from which a person can recover More than 80%
Severe disease, causing breathlessness and pneumonia Around 14%
Critical disease, including septic shock, respiratory
failure, and the failure of more than one organ About
5%
Fatal disease 2%
The Director-General also noted that the risk of serious
complications increases with age. According to the WHO, few children get
COVID-19, although they are still investigating the reasons for this.
However, while some viruses are highly contagious, it is
less clear how rapidly coronaviruses will spread.
Symptoms vary from person-to-person with COVID-19. It may
produce few or no symptoms. However, it can also lead to severe illness and may
be fatal. Common symptoms include:
·
fever
·
breathlessness
·
cough
It may take 2–14 days for a person to notice symptoms
after infection.
No vaccine is currently available for COVID-19. However,
scientists have now replicated the virus. This could allow for early detection
and treatment in people who have the virus but are not yet showing symptoms.
SARS
SARS was a contagious disease that developed after
infection by the SARS-CoV coronavirus. Typically, it led to a life threatening
form of pneumonia.
During November 2002, the virus started in the Guangdong
Province in southern China, eventually reaching Hong Kong. From there, it
rapidly spread around the world, causing infections in more than 24 countries.
SARS-CoV can infect both the upper and lower respiratory
tracts.
The symptoms of SARS develop over the course of a week and
start with a fever. Early on in the condition, people develop flu-like
symptoms, such as:
dry coughing
chills
diarrhea
breathlessness
aches
Pneumonia, a severe lung infection, usually develops. At
its most advanced stage, SARS causes failure of the lungs, heart, or liver.
According to the CDC, authorities marked 8,098 people as
having contracted SARS. Of these, 774 infections were fatal. This equates to a
mortality rate of 9.6%.
Complications were more likely in older adults, and half
of all people over 65 years of age who became ill did not survive. Authorities
eventually controlled SARS in July 2003.
MERS
MERS spread due to the coronavirus known as MERS-CoV.
Scientists first recognized this severe respiratory illness in 2012 after it
surfaced in Saudi Arabia. Since then, it has spread to other countries.
The virus has reached the U.S., while the largest outbreak
outside the Arabian Peninsula occurred in South Korea in 2015.
Symptoms of MERS include fever, breathlessness, and
coughing. The illness spreads through close contact with people who already
have an infection. However, all cases of MERS have links to individuals
recently returning from travel to the Arabian Peninsula.
A 2019 study on MERS found that the disease is fatal in
35.2% of people who contract it.
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